Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Between Two Worlds
by sirgrimofbull
Summary: A boy named Luke awakens in the Pokémon world as a Riolu without any memories of who he is but his name and that he's human. He meets an adventurous Pikachu, and they become exploration partners, going on adventures in Mystery Dungeons. They are soon caught up in a sinister plot threatening more than just the Pokémon world... Rated K plus for some violence. Pokémon are unique OCs.
1. Chapter 1: The World of Pokémon

(I do not own **Pokémon** )

When he came to his senses, a young boy realized he was submerged in water.

He was weak and could hardly move, he couldn't open his tightly shut eyes, and fear gripped his being knowing he was deeply submerged and couldn't breathe, but he had no idea how deeply he was submerged.

The young boy, with all of his might, threw his arms down to carry himself up to the surface; it was all he could do to resist drowning. He just hoped he wasn't too far under the surface.

To his immense relief, his head broke the surface of the water, and the young boy was able to draw a deep breath and open his eyes.

Unfortunately, due to his sheer exhaustion and from having his eyes so tightly closed underwater, his vision was very blurry. However, he was able to make out what appeared to be land; with his last ounce of strength, he swam over to the land and flopped down onto it before losing consciousness.

The young boy soon woke up. He had regained enough strength to climb to his feet, so he did so and surveyed his surroundings.

He was in the midst of a gorgeous forest clearing; the trees around him formed a dense but beautiful canopy brightened by and occasionally broken by the sun. The grass on the ground was the purest green he could imagine, and in the clearing was a clear, shining pond. This must be where the boy was submerged.

In the midst of his awe in surveying his surroundings, more beautiful than anything he had ever seen, he tried to remember; what else had he seen? What was he doing there?

To his shock, the boy couldn't remember. He tried to remember something, anything…but nothing came to him. He remembered nothing, nothing about why he was in this beautiful wood, anything about his life, or even who he was.

He became dizzy with fright; who was he? Why couldn't he remember? He felt terrified and helpless, until he was able to recall something.

 _My…name….is…Luke..._ , he thought. It was with such certainty he knew it was true. It was the first clear thought he had since he found himself submerged in the pond. As he had no memories, he couldn't keep his thoughts together until he remembered his name: Luke. Yes, Luke. A fine name, it was. But, best of all, it was his.

 _Yes…my name is Luke. I'm…a…human boy_ , he thought. This he was also pretty sure of…but not quite. Something didn't feel right. But what did he know? He couldn't remember anything, absolutely nothing beyond that he was a human named Luke.

 _I'm a human boy, my name is Luke…I'm a human boy, my name is Luke…_

This was an identity, his identity; it was all he had, as he could remember nothing, so Luke clung to it as best he could.

"Hey, are you OK?!"

This voice interrupted the stillness of the forest and broke through Luke's daze; he realized that he had been wandering around in a dizzy daze while all of this rolled through his mind. Now that this voice had broken his dizzy reverie, he turned around to see to whom this voice belonged.

The shock of what he saw caused him to stumble backwards and collapse, barely missing the pond. Luke stared in awe. No, this couldn't be real. These creatures didn't exist. Certainly, this wasn't the source of the voice that he'd heard.

 _Are you…are you a Pokémon?_ he thought.

Luke realized he must have said this aloud, as it replied, "Uh, yeah. Haven't you ever seen a talking Pikachu before?"

… _Pikachu?_ he thought. _I'm talking to a Pikachu? That's so...weird..._ He didn't say this aloud, instead shaking his head at Pikachu's question.

"Really? Oh, wow," Pikachu said. "You must have been living under a rock your whole life. We Pokémon talk like this. That's how it's always been."

Luke staggered to his feet, quite clumsily, and stared at Pikachu in confusion.

"Are you OK?" Pikachu asked. "You seem to be in quite the daze out here. That's really odd; I thought Riolu had a very tight sense of focus."

 _What?!_ Luke thought. _What did he say?! Riolu?!_ He vocalized his confusion to Pikachu.

"Yeah," Pikachu said slowly. "You are very clearly a Riolu. I would know. Trust me."

 _No, no, I'm a human!_ Luke thought. _I'm not a Riolu! I can't be a Riolu! How is that even possible?!_

Luke dashed back over to the pond with surprising focus and clarity. Very hesitantly, he looked at his reflection.

A Riolu stared back at him.

Looking at his hands and feet and realizing they were Riolu paws, he screamed and ran around in circles.

 _I'm a Pokémon?!_ Luke thought. _Pokémon don't exist! How am I a Pokémon?!_

"Calm down!" Pikachu yelled as Luke realized he'd been yelling all of this. "What is wrong with you?!"

Luke stopped in front of Pikachu. He couldn't believe any of this; would this Pikachu believe him if he explained his situation? Would it be beneficial for him to explain?

 _Well, I've got nothing to lose,_ Luke thought. _At least, nothing I can remember._

Luke explained his plight to Pikachu. He told Pikachu his name and that he was a human, but he couldn't remember anything.

"A…a human?!" Pikachu cried. "Are you serious? There's no such thing as a human! Is there…?" This was a tone of shock, not of disbelief or of doubt.

 _Well, as far as I was concerned until now, there was no such thing as Pokémon,_ Luke thought and said to Pikachu.

"Huh," Pikachu said. "It certainly would explain your bizarre daze uncharacteristic for a Riolu."

This last phrase still came as a shock to Luke, who wasn't used to this.

"What an odd but exciting story," Pikachu said, deep in thought. "Tell you what, I'm gonna just go ahead and believe you!"

 _Really?!_ It was wonderful to hear someone believed Luke. This one Pokémon Luke knew now, this Pikachu…Luke felt that if Pikachu really believed him, and it really felt like he did, he could trust this Pikachu.

"Yup, I'll believe you!" Pikachu said, re-affirming this. "You can call me…well, Pikachu, since that's actually my name. I don't have a name different from my species like you, Luke; most Pokémon don't, though you get a pass because you're human."

 _How readily Pikachu seems to have accepted this!_ Luke thought. _And here I am still barely able to process this. But…why?_ He hated to be rude, but he had to ask.

"Well, how do I put this?" Pikachu replied. "I like to explore and discover things unknown. I've always had a spirit of adventure. It's why I was out here in the first place. I was exploring this forest, hoping to discover something on this adventure."

 _Explore. Discover. Adventure._ These words made Luke's pulse race, his palms shake, and his muscles quaver with excitement. He…he loved adventure! Could this be a clue to who he once was? He vocalized his thoughts to Pikachu.

"You like adventures too?" Pikachu asked with excitement. "Wow! No one's ever shared my love of adventure before! You know what? I think it COULD be a clue to your identity!" Pikachu gasped. "Hey! I just got the greatest idea! You should come stay with me and my dad for a while! You and I could go on lots of adventures together! We could explore places unknown, and maybe find out who you really are! Come on, what you do say?! It'll be so much fun!"

This was quite the change from the somewhat cold and harsh Pikachu from a few minutes ago. This was an extremely excitable and earnest Pikachu, and Luke couldn't help but chuckle at Pikachu's enthusiasm, though he couldn't help but feel it too. After all, he loved adventure like Pikachu did. And, at this point, if ever there were anyone he wanted to go on adventures with, it had to be Pikachu, the only Pokémon he knew right now, and someone he knew he could trust.

 _Yes!_ Luke thought and cried. _Yes! Let's go on lots of adventures together!_

"All right!" Pikachu cried, jumping up and down. "From this moment on, you and I are partners! We'll be the greatest adventuring duo this world's ever seen!"

Luke couldn't help but cheer right along with the joyful Pikachu. However, Luke's exhaustion from his ordeal soon caught up with him, and he slowed down.

Pikachu laughed, not cruelly, but compassionately. "Ha ha! We'd better not start right away! You should have some time to recover," he said. "But…we gotta get back to my place, so we can get in one adventure today! What do you say?" Luke excitedly agreed, and Pikachu said, "Then come on! Follow me!"

Luke followed Pikachu to an opening out of the clearing and into the forest. He couldn't see very far in, though it seemed like he should be able to. He asked Pikachu why.

"Luke," Pikachu said, "you are looking at the entrance to a Mystery Dungeon."


	2. Chapter 2: The Mystery Dungeon

_Mystery…Dungeon?_ Luke thought and said.

"Oh, yeah, you're still new here, so let me explain before we go in," Pikachu said. "A Mystery Dungeon is a wide area of space, usually a cave or a forest like this, where very bizarre things happen. Even if you go through the same area again and again, you'll never go through the same dungeon twice!"

 _Wow,_ Luke thought. _These Mystery Dungeons sound exciting!_

"On the ground, you can find all sorts of cool items that will help you through the dungeon," Pikachu continued, "or you can even find money! You can use it to buy things that might help you during a dungeon exploration!"

 _What are we waiting for?!_ Luke thought. _Let's go!_

Luke started to run towards the dungeon entrance, but Pikachu grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Don't run in there quite so fast," Pikachu warned. "Once you're in there, you aren't getting out for a while. You can't just turn around and leave once you're inside. The only way out is to make it all the way to the end of the dungeon…or if you're defeated by another Pokémon partway there, in which case you'll be forced to turn back."

 _Whoa,_ Luke thought, moving back towards Pikachu. _Pokémon attack you in Mystery Dungeons?_ Luke asked this last question aloud.

"Yep," Pikachu said. "This is one of the things that make Mystery Dungeons difficult to navigate. If you run into a Pokémon, it will attack you. If that happens, you'll have to fight back using your regular attack or one of your moves."

 _Regular attack?_ Luke thought and asked. _Moves?_

"Don't think about it too hard," Pikachu reassured. "You'll know what to do when you're inside." Pikachu gave Luke a comforting smile and nod. "Anyway, if you defeat the other Pokémon, you'll gain more experience, which will help you become stronger, take less damage from attacks, and even learn new and stronger moves."

 _That's really cool!_ Luke thought.

"So, yeah, that's pretty much the high and low of Mystery Dungeons," Pikachu said. "Just find items, fight off any attacking Pokémon, and get to the stairs to move ahead."

 _Stairs?_ Luke thought. _In a forest?_

"Oh yeah!" Pikachu said. "I never even mentioned the stairs! In a Mystery Dungeon, stairs are how you move from floor to floor! Each Mystery Dungeon has a set amount of floors, but the set-up of floors is different every time you go through the Mystery Dungeon, which is what makes traversing Mystery Dungeons and finding the stairs so difficult."

 _OK, I think I got it,_ Luke thought and said. _So the floors are never the same when you go through, find the stairs to get to the next floor, collect items, and fight off Pokémon that try to attack. Huh. Must require brilliant strategy. Sounds like a ton of fun!_

"It totally is! You've got it down pat!" Pikachu confirmed. "Thankfully, this Mystery Dungeon right here is short and pretty easy. Since you're exhausted from your ordeal and pretty new to this, this seems like the perfect introduction to Mystery Dungeons for you. This dungeon is called Felicity Forest. When we get through this dungeon, we'll get to where I live with my dad." He smiled. "You know, you kinda remind me of him. I think you two will really hit it off." He turned to face the entrance to Felicity Forest. "Well, let's go in and get through this. Daylight's burning. Just stick close to me and this'll be a snap."

Luke nodded, and he and Pikachu entered Felicity Forest.

They scrounged the first floor and picked up a significant amount of money and items, managing to avoid a Seedot and a Sunkern.

"Those are pretty weak Pokémon, anyway," Pikachu said. "Don't worry if we bump into one."

Luke saw a pair of matching scarves sitting next to each other; while most of the items they grabbed went into the bag he just noticed Pikachu had on his person, Luke picked up the scarves and tucked them under his arm to hide them from Pikachu until later; he wanted them to be a surprise.

Luke was able to find the stairs after some searching, and he and Pikachu went up to the next floor.

On the second floor, they encountered a Sunkern.

"As I said, these are easy Pokémon," Pikachu said. "Let me take this one." He unleashed a couple of Thunder Shocks and took some regular attacks before the Sunkern fell.

"No problem," Pikachu said, visibly hurt but trying to look confident. "But…I'll let you take the next one." When Luke looked at Pikachu with genuine concern, Pikachu said, "Don't worry about me; in Mystery Dungeons, you gradually heal up as you explore."

Luke ran into a Seedot, and used a Quick Attack to deal damage before Seedot used a regular attack on him. Luke backed up and used Quick Attack from a distance to knock Seedot out. He turned and jokingly flashed a smug smile at Pikachu. _I hardly took any damage at all._

"Oh, shut up," Pikachu grimaced, but couldn't help chuckling.

They gathered all the items they could and went up the stairs. They did the same on the third floor before reaching the stairs, avoiding or easily fighting all the Pokémon they encountered.

When they climbed the stairs, Luke realized they were no longer in the Mystery Dungeon. He asked Pikachu to confirm this.

"Yep! We cleared the dungeon!" Pikachu said. "Nice job in there!"

 _You too!_ Luke thought and said.

"For a new human turned Pokémon who has no memories at all, you seem right at home on this adventure," Pikachu said. "Shouldn't you be worried about your lost memory or your loved ones in the human world, even if you can't remember them?"

 _Yeah, I am,_ Luke thought and said. _But worrying isn't going to help me. I figure if I'm gonna be here a while, I may as well enjoy it, enjoy having adventures, and maybe find something about myself, my memories, or my old life on these adventures._

Pikachu smiled. "You're right. Wow, for someone in your situation, you seem very laid-back."

 _Well, I guess I feel comfortable because I'm with someone I can trust,_ Luke thought. He didn't say it out loud; that could be embarrassing. But he needed to do something to show how he felt.

"Well, that's fine," Pikachu said. "I like you, and I think we're gonna get along just fine."

 _I feel the same,_ Luke replied. _And to show you that I do…_ Luke pulled the scarves out from under his arm and handed one to Pikachu. _Here, partner. Matching scarves for the two of us._

Pikachu stood, speechless. "You…You found matching scarves for the two of us in the dungeon? I..I…" He paused, struck with emotion, then said, "Thank you so much." He put it on.

Luke put his on likewise.

"These are useful besides," Pikachu said with a smile. "These are Weather Bands. They'll protect us from any bad weather. Hail, sandstorms…whatever may come, as long as we wear these scarves, we can weather any storm."

 _Yeah…you and me, pal,_ Luke thought.

After a moment, Pikachu said, "Anyway, do you know why that forest behind us is called Felicity Forest?" When Luke shook his head, Pikachu continued, "It's because it borders a particular town. And we've just arrived there. Luke, welcome to Felicity Town!"


	3. Chapter 3: Lucario

As Pikachu said this, a quaint little village came into view, where Pokémon ambled about their day-to-day lives, ran shops, and occasionally chatted with each other. It was very calm, and gave Luke a sense of peace.

As if Pikachu were reading Luke's mind, he said, "And that's why this place is called Felicity Town. Come on, let's get to my place!"

Pikachu and Luke raced through town, not making any conversation despite the various voices of "Hello," "How are you?", and "Who's that with you, Pikachu?". It seemed very pleasant, and Luke would have loved to pause and converse with any of them, but Pikachu really seemed to want to show Luke his home.

They soon came to the outskirts of town to a hill, upon which sat a small, wooden shack with smoke coming from its chimney. It looked very comforting to Luke.

"Well, come on in, Luke!" Pikachu yelled excitedly, and he opened the door.

Inside was a simple setting: a wooden floor, a small kitchen area with a stove and a nearby dining table with extra room for guests, a bed on either side of the room, a stone fireplace crackling with the gentle fire producing the chimney smoke, and a living room area around the fireplace comprised of a rug and an occupied rocking chair. It wasn't much, but Luke felt at home as soon as he crossed the threshold.

Looking back, Luke realized it had to do with the occupant of the rocking chair.

The Pokémon was reading a book Luke didn't recognize. His face was gentle and benevolent. He also looked a lot like Luke, just older.

"Dad," Pikachu said. "Meet my new friend!"

"Your new friend?" The Pokémon turned to Luke and flashed a warm smile. "A Riolu, huh?" He put his book down and walked over to Luke. "Well, any friend of Pikachu's is a friend of mine. Call me Lucario."

Luke smiled. _My name is Luke._

"Luke, huh?" Lucario smiled warmly. "What a nice name."

"His name isn't like that of other Pokémon," Pikachu said. "It's because he's a human who turned into a Pokémon."

The expression of shock overtook Lucario's warm face. "What…did you say?!"

"Luke's a human who turned into a Riolu. I found him at the pond in the clearing of Felicity Forest," Pikachu said. "Tell him, Luke. Tell him what happened."

Luke described his ordeal in the clearing, his inability to remember anything, and his encounter with Pikachu to Lucario, who was clearly very shocked.

"Do you believe us, Dad?" Pikachu asked.

Lucario took a while to respond; this seemed a lot for him to take in. He seemed like a Pokémon who had experienced quite a lot in his life. "O-of course I believe you, son," Lucario finally said. Luke believed it entirely; Lucario didn't seem the type to lie.

"He has nowhere else to go, Dad," Pikachu said. "Can he stay with us for a while?"

Lucario looked around the room, then turned to Luke and Pikachu. "Absolutely, he can," he said. "It'll be a tight fit, but I can make a bed for him over there." He pointed to a corner opposite that of the smaller bed, then headed toward the door. "I'll be out for a while. I need to make his bed and handle some business around town since he'll be staying with us."

"Thanks a lot, Dad!" Pikachu said.

 _Yeah, thank you very much, Lucario, sir,_ Luke added.

"Please, call me Dad," Lucario said very kindly. With a warm smile, Lucario left.

Luke's heart was full to bursting. He had a close friend in Pikachu, and now a father figure in Lucario. He couldn't help it. Tears streamed from his face.

Pikachu grabbed Luke. "What's the matter?"

 _You and your father,_ Luke managed to say. _What wonderful Pokémon you two are, taking me in like this even though you barely even know me. Lucario…he's so kind._

"Yeah," Pikachu said. "He took me in when I was young, just as quickly as he took you in. He never turns away from a Pokémon in need. He really is the kindest Pokémon I know…" Pikachu started choking up. "Darn it, now you've got me doing it!"

They both laughed at this.

"Yeah, but he's REALLY taken a shine to you," Pikachu commented. "I wonder why. I think it has to do with the fact that you've lost your memory and really need help. I think you've really elicited Dad's sympathy like I did when he took me in. I was just an orphan…" Pikachu drifted off. Snapping back, Pikachu continued, "I bet it may also have to do with the fact that you're his pre-evolution. You see, Riolu, like you, evolve into Lucario, like Dad, under the right conditions. There must be a natural fatherly affection because of this."

 _Yeah, that makes sense,_ Luke said.

"Either way," Pikachu said, "you have a home here, now. Dad wants you to call him Dad, too. You know what that means, right?" Pikachu started jumping up and down. "It means we're brothers!"

 _Yeah, it does, doesn't it?_ Luke thought. _Brothers!_

They high-fived, then they sat on the rug and talked about the adventure they just had, and Pikachu told Luke about Felicity Town.

"It's kind of a trade town," Pikachu said. "Lots of Pokémon travel through here and sell their wares, or buy some of Felicity's specialties, like from Kangaskhan's café. She makes a mean Oran Berry pie. Then they take those specialties and sell them around the world."

 _That's awesome,_ Luke said.

"Yeah, really puts Felicity on the map," Pikachu said. "As for the town itself, Kecleon runs a shop with useful dungeon items. He has connections with other Kecleon who set up shops around the world, even inside dungeons!"

 _Kecleon sets up shop in dungeons?_ Luke wondered.

"Yeah!" Pikachu said. "It can be a lifesaver if you're struggling. But, I need to warn you, just to be sure. DON'T. STEAL. FROM. KECLEON. It's not worth it. He and his relatives will mercilessly beat you down. I've heard tales of the strongest explorers trying to swipe something from Kecleon and regretting it immensely. But Kecleon and his relatives are such nice guys you wouldn't want to steal from them anyway."

 _I will keep that in mind,_ Luke affirmed.

"There's also Cofagrigus," Pikachu continued. "He has a…weird obsession with gold bars. You can find them in dungeons sometimes. In exchange for gold bars, he can trade you some really good stuff.

"Then, there's Mr. Mime, who can open up locked boxes you find in dungeons with his psychic powers. There's usually really good stuff in boxes.

"Meditite can train any Pokémon and remind them of moves they once knew, but have forgotten.

"Finally, there's the First Bank of Felicity. You can store any excess items you might find useful, or money, in your special deposit box. You'll be able to access it wherever you find a Deposit Box, such as in dungeons. Golurk runs and stands guard in the bank, so you will never have anything stolen, ever.

"Well, that's about the high and low of Felicity Town, besides all the really nice people in town. I'll let you meet them for yourself," Pikachu concluded. "I think you're really gonna like it here."

 _Yeah, I think I am,_ Luke affirmed.

The door opened, signaling Lucario's return. He was carrying something very large.

"Hello, boys," Lucario said. "Luke, are you getting accustomed to your new home?"

Luke nodded.

"Hey, Dad, that looks really heavy," Pikachu said. "Can I help you with that?"

"Nope, I got it," Lucario said. He walked it over to the corner he specified earlier and set it down. It was a really nice and comfy-looking bed.

"Well," Lucario said. "What do you think?"

 _I think it's absolutely perfect!_ Luke said, beaming. _Thanks a lot!_

"I hoped you'd like it," Lucario said with a smile. Then he took on a more serious expression. "Now that you're all settled in, there's something I'd like to talk to you two about." He went to his rocking chair and sat, and the boys turned to look at him. He leaned forward.

"Pikachu," Lucario began, "you are getting older. That means I want you to start to establish yourself as a member of the Felicity community. You need to pick a profession somewhere in town. No more mindless goofing off, as you always do." He turned to Luke. "As for you, since you seem to be about Pikachu's age, and you're staying with us for a while, I'd like you to do the same." He leaned back in his chair. "I spoke to everyone in town while getting the supplies to build Luke's bed, and any of them would be happy to take you two in." He paused, then continued, "I know this is kind of sudden, especially for you, Luke, considering everything you've gone through today. You need to recover and adjust to life here. That's why I'm going to let you two have a few days to decide. Pikachu, take Luke around Felicity, introduce him to the Pokémon around town. Go through a Mystery Dungeon and ruminate on this, like I know you like to do, Pikachu, but not a difficult one without my permission, mind you. Then, when you've decided, you'll begin your jobs. Are we understood?"

The boys nodded solemnly.

"Good," Lucario said. "You seem to be taking this very well, Pikachu especially, considering how you like your Mystery Dungeon explorations."

"I figure I should probably grow up soon, anyway," Pikachu said. "This is a great opportunity anyway! I was just telling Luke all about Felicity before you came in!"

"Well, Luke, this is a good way to see everything Pikachu told you about. But now is not the time," Lucario said, stretching his arms. "It's getting late, and I'm exhausted. I imagine you boys are, too."

Pikachu yawned. "Yeah, I'm pretty beat. How about you, Luke?"

 _Yeah,_ Luke replied, yawning. _Besides, I'd like to give my new bed a try._

Pikachu and Lucario laughed; Lucario extinguished the fireplace, and everyone climbed into their beds. Luke was directly facing Pikachu in his bed.

"Good night, Luke," Pikachu said drearily, and immediately fell asleep.

 _Good night, Pikachu,_ Luke said.

Luke didn't fall asleep immediately. He was caught up in his thoughts.

 _Who am I?_ he thought. _Why am I here in this world?_ He looked at his adoptive brother and father in their beds. _I needn't worry now. I live here with Pikachu and Lucario, and I'm going to make a name for myself here in Felicity Town. Pikachu…Lucario…the first Pokémon I meet, and they're both so wonderful. Pikachu is so excitable, innocent, full of life. Lucario…he may be strict, but he's so kind, caring, and devoted. They both have hearts so full of love, and it makes this household feel like…like paradise. I'm going to enjoy every moment of living here until I discover who I really am._

"Luke?" Lucario said quietly and suddenly, breaking his train of thought. Lucario came over to his bed and sat on it. "I want to thank you for being such a good friend to Pikachu. He's usually very cold and distant, and he talks very sarcastically and rudely to me and everyone else. He's actually normally kind of a pawful."

 _What?!_ Luke thought. _Pikachu…a bad kid? Well…he was kind of cold to me, until I told him who I was and my love of adventure._ He decided not to say this to Lucario.

"But today, since he met you, he's just…so kind, so happy, so loving. He offered to help me bring that bed in, he never would have done that before. He took that conversation really well, when he probably would have sulked for days before. You…you seem to have some sort of effect on him….Luke…he's had a rough life. He was orphaned really young and came to my doorstep in a storm by chance. He's very secluded, he never talks to anyone, and he usually spends his time just wandering alone through Mystery Dungeons. He's never been happy outside those dungeons until he met you. I think…I think he's found a kindred spirit in you, someone he can relate to, someone he can have fun with, someone he can confide in. You love adventure like he does, don't you?"

 _Yeah!_ Luke replied. _How did you know?_

"How else could you have related to him?" Lucario replied, pointing to the scarf around Luke's neck. "Ah, but look at me rambling on. You're probably exhausted. I'll let you sleep." He embraced Luke warmly. "Good night…son. I hope you figure out who you are one day. To that end…I'll always be there for you."

He returned to his bed and fell asleep.

With a warm smile in his heart, Luke drifted off to sleep as well.


	4. Chapter 4: The First Rescue

Luke didn't dream.

Luke felt like he woke up as soon as he fell asleep. It really was a great bed Lucario made.

The first thing he saw was Pikachu's face.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Pikachu said. "Or, should I say, afternoon."

 _Whoa!_ Luke thought. _I slept until the afternoon?!_

"It WAS pretty late when we got to bed last night, and you did have a pretty exhausting day," Pikachu said.

 _I suppose…_ Luke said. _Where's Lu—I mean, where's Dad?_

"He's gone for the day," Pikachu said. "He's a lumberjack…or so he says. I never see him working with the other lumberjacks."

 _Maybe he works alone,_ Luke mused. _It would explain how he was able to make such a good bed._

Pikachu chuckled, "Yeah, I suppose. He built everything in this shack, the other beds, the chair, the fireplace, the stove, the table…even the shack itself!"

 _Wow…he must be really talented._

"He is," Pikachu said. "But you gotta get out of bed, brother! I gotta show you around town so we can decide what to make of ourselves!"

 _Oh, yeah…_ Luke said. He hated to leave the bed, but it would still be there for him at the end of the day. Right now, he had a full day of exploring the town with Pikachu.

Pikachu hurriedly and excitedly introduced Luke to the townsfolk they bumped into and all the shopkeepers he'd described to Luke. He seemed really happy to show off his new brother, his new friend, his new partner. Everyone seemed happy to see Pikachu and to meet Luke.

This seemed odd to Luke. If Pikachu was so cold and rude before, why was everyone so glad to see him?

 _They must all really be kind Pokémon,_ Luke thought. _Maybe Lucario…er…Dad has related to them Pikachu's sad past. Maybe they're happy to see that Pikachu finally has a friend in me. Either way, I'm glad. If being Pikachu's friend really is changing him for the better, I'm going to stay by his side as long as I possibly can! Besides, I like having a friend in Pikachu! He helped me when I was lost. So, by the scarf around my neck, I'm going to help him, too!_

"Help! Help!"

The cry of a distressed Pokémon snapped Luke out of his train of thought.

A small, fluttering Pokémon ran down the street right into Luke and knocked him over, still yelling, "Oh! Please! Somebody help me!"

"Togetic!" Pikachu said as Luke got to his feet. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Pikachu! It's awful!" Togetic cried. "Munchlax told me earlier he was going into the Dark Woods on the other side of town to explore! I told him it was too dangerous, but he insisted! He's still not back! Something could have happened to him! Oh! I should have stopped him! What am I gonna do?"

Pikachu looked at Luke, and they both nodded. Then Pikachu turned back to Togetic.

"We can go into the Dark Woods and find and save Munchlax!" Pikachu said.

"R-really?" Togetic asked, with both fear and hope in her voice. "Isn't Dark Woods a really dangerous Mystery Dungeon? I mean…I know you like to explore nearby Mystery Dungeons, but…isn't Dark Woods a little out of your league? What about your father? Would Lucario want you to go in such a place?"

"I don't care!" Pikachu cried. "We have to save Munchlax, no matter what!"

"What great resolve!" Togetic cried. "I know you can save Munchlax with that resolve!" She made a mischievous face and whispered, "Don't worry…I won't tell Lucario."

"All right!" Pikachu said. "Luke, let's go save Munchlax!"

"Good luck! Be safe!" Togetic cried as the duo embarked off to the Dark Woods.

On the way, Luke had to wonder…

 _Who was that, Pikachu?_

"Togetic," he replied. "She's one of the residents of Felicity Town. She and Munchlax are pretty close friends. I think they like to play together…but I guess Togetic didn't want to follow Munchlax into the Dark Woods. Luke, we need to be careful in there. Even I don't like the idea of going into the Dark Woods."

 _But we can do it, Pikachu,_ Luke replied. _I know we can._

Pikachu nodded and smiled a determined smile. "You're right. Let's go."

They entered the Dark Woods.

It was so dark and murky they could barely see just in front of them. Murkrow would attack them occasionally, as would Purrloin; those were the attackers Luke and Pikachu could make out, at least. They were very tough, for what the duo had faced, but Luke and Pikachu bravely fought them off and stood their ground.

Luke and Pikachu didn't bother searching for items; they just wanted to find Munchlax and get out.

The woods got darker as they climbed higher; it was getting late.

Night fell as Luke and Pikachu reached the sixth floor; they were exhausted and humiliated that it took them so long. There they found a green, chubby Pokémon passed out on the ground.

"S…so…hungry," the Pokémon said. "Can't…move…"

"Munchlax?" Pikachu inquired.

"APPLES!" Munchlax cried. "I! NEED! APPLES!"

 _Apples?_ Luke thought. _But we don't have any…_

"Here you go," Pikachu said, pulling some apples out of his bag and feeding them to Munchlax. "Eat up. We have to get home."

Greedily, Munchlax took the apples and shoved them into his mouth, chewing loudly with a "Munch munch! Munch munch!"

 _Where did you get apples?_ Luke asked Pikachu as Munchlax devoured away.

"I always keep some handy, in case we get hungry in a Mystery Dungeon," Pikachu said. "You NEVER wanna get caught hungry in the middle of a dungeon. It could spell defeat. Case in point." Pikachu pointed to the feasting Pokémon in front of them.

Though it wasn't that much, Munchlax took forever to eat the apples; he was quite the messy eater. Finally, he finished and got to his feet.

"Nom nom nom nom," Munchlax said, licking his lips and relishing the taste. He looked at Luke and Pikachu blankly for a moment before regaining his senses after his food craze.

"WHERE are my manners?!" Munchlax cried, before muttering, "To be honest, they completely disappear when food is involved." Then he continued, "Er-HEM! I would like to thank you greatly for this bountiful feast and oh so daring rescue! To whom am I indebted?"

Munchlax's obviously silly speech amused Luke and Pikachu, and they had to stifle a laugh. "Come on, Munchlax!" Pikachu replied. "It's me, Pikachu. And this is my partner and brother, Luke."

"Well met, my saviors!" Munchlax dramatically continued. "I was bravely embarking on a quest to face the perils of these Dark Woods when I was felled by a mighty beast!"

"Hunger," Pikachu said.

"THE NAME OF THE BEAST IS IRRELEVANT!" Munchlax retorted. "Anyway, the mighty foe vanquished me, and I could only wait for brave rescuers to save me from this perilous wood. I have no gift to offer but my gratitude, but if I may be of service to you in any way, hesitate not to ask!"

"Umm…we do have one favor," Pikachu said. "Could you…not mention this to Lucario? He really doesn't want us out here."

"THY WISH IS MY COMMAND!" Munchlax replied. "In exchange for your heroism, the epic tale of your rescue shall ever remain obscured in the shadow of this wood!"

"Thanks, Munchlax," Pikachu replied. "Now, let's go home. Togetic is worried about you."

"Togetic?" Munchlax cried, dropping the dramatic charade. "I never thought about her feelings when I did this! Oh, how could I have been so stupid? I just wanted to impress her, she's so cool! I never wanted to hurt her! I'm so sorry! Let's go home! I gotta tell her!"

After this spewing tirade, as they headed home, Luke thought to himself, _Togetic already seems to like Munchlax the way he is, the way she reacted; he didn't need to go out of his way to impress her. I'm glad other people have such close friendships, like I've been forming with Pikachu._

When they returned to Felicity Town, Munchlax ran away from Luke and Pikachu and yelled, "Thanks for the rescue, guys! Sorry to run, but I've gotta show Togetic I'm all right! You get home to your father!"

 _Our father…_

"Oh, yeah," Pikachu said, lining up with Luke's thoughts. "It's really late. He's probably real worried about us, and he'll probably get mad at us for going off like that. Should we tell him we got lost in a different dungeon?"

 _No,_ Luke said. _It wouldn't be right to lie. We'd better just tell him the truth and face the music._

Pikachu sighed. "You're right. Let's go home."

When they finally dragged themselves home, Lucario was waiting at the door with a stern expression on his face. The boys stopped at the threshold.

"Where have you two been?" Lucario asked with a just as stern tone of voice. "It's way past your curfew."

"Well…" Pikachu began. He looked at Luke, who nodded, then sighed, turned to Lucario and said, "We…we were in the Dark Woods."

"What?!" Lucario yelled, taken aback with shock. This wasn't anger, just stern disappointment with a touch of fear considering what could have happened to them. "How could you two be so reckless? Pikachu, I warned you about that place. You aren't supposed to go there and you know that! Do you know what could have happened to you two?"

Luke lowered his head in shame. It pained him so much to know how much this hurt Lucario. They defied him, and probably caused this kind Pokémon a lot of stress and worry.

Tears rolled down Pikachu's face. "I'm so sorry, Dad. We didn't mean to…Munchlax…he was in trouble…and…"

"Munchlax?" Lucario interrupted. "He was in trouble?" He knelt down, grabbed Pikachu's shoulders, and said, "Pikachu, explain to me what happened."

So Pikachu told Lucario about how Togetic had run into him and Luke and how she was worried about Munchlax, who had gone into the Dark Woods alone; he explained that they ventured very far in and rescued Munchlax.

Lucario released Pikachu, got up, and stepped backwards. "So you went in there…to save Munchlax?" He paused and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Luke…Pikachu…I'm very disappointed in you for secretly going into the Dark Woods after I told you not to. But…" He smiled. "…I'm proud of you for your courage and strength in saving Munchlax. You disobeyed me, but you did so because you truly believed it was the right thing to do. So…just this once…I'll let it slide." He frowned. "But please…please tell me before you boys think about going into a dangerous place like that again."

Luke and Pikachu looked at each other and nodded, then Pikachu said, "We promise."

"That's all I want," Lucario said, bending down and embracing his adoptive sons. Then he returned to his feet and said, "Come on. You boys must be exhausted. I've some tea in the kettle."

Luke and Pikachu entered the house and joined their adoptive father.


	5. Chapter 5: The Boss of the Honey Haven

Luke and Pikachu sipped their warm Sitrus tea in front of the fire and recovered from their adventure that day, relieved to be home; Lucario sipped his tea while sitting in his rocking chair and reading his book, and the three of them sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally, Lucario broke the silence.

"Boys, have you given any thought to what I asked you last night?"

The boys looked at each other meekly. They had been so preoccupied with rescuing Munchlax that they hadn't really thought about it.

Suddenly, Luke had an epiphany. He leaned in close to Pikachu to whisper, and Lucario leaned back in his chair, respecting the boys' privacy.

 _Y'know,_ Luke whispered. _As tough as it was, going through the Dark Woods and rescuing Munchlax was really a lot of fun. And, despite Dad's talk, it felt really good helping a Pokémon in need. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?_

"You bet I am!" Pikachu whispered in reply. Then the boys turned to Lucario, who leaned forward to listen to what they had to say.

"Luke and I want to be Mystery Dungeon explorers, rescuing Pokémon in need and making all sorts of wonderful discoveries!" Pikachu cried excitedly on his and Luke's behalf.

Lucario's eyes widened for a moment, but he didn't flinch in shock. He leaned back and touched his clasped paws to his chin, deep in thought. Was that a good sign?

There was more silence. Pikachu and Luke watched as Lucario muttered to himself.

Finally, he leaned back forward and said, "Well, it's not the traditional route. But…you boys really love those Mystery Dungeons, so that passion will certainly help you. Also, as worried as you had me, rescuing Munchlax from the Dark Woods was an impressive feat all on its own. But…there are far more dangerous dungeons and missions out there. I am inclined to say yes…"

The boys began to beam.

"But," Lucario continued. "You two will need to prove to me you are up to the task. You see, back in my day, I was quite the Mystery Dungeon explorer myself, so I know some pretty tough dungeons."

 _Dad was a Mystery Dungeon explorer?!_ Luke thought to himself.

"As much as I was concerned about you two, I need to realize that you two are growing up…so…let me refer you to some tougher dungeons," Lucario said. "In addition, I'll go around town and see if any Pokémon are in trouble in situations involving Mystery Dungeons. I'll send you boys to deal with those. If you boys can handle all of this…you boys will take up Mystery Dungeon exploration. Are we agreed?"

"Yes!" Pikachu cried excitedly.

 _Absolutely!_ Luke followed suit.

"Fantastic!" Lucario responded, a proud smile on his face. "You boys get some rest now. Tomorrow, you boys will take on…" He paused to think for a minute. Then his face lit up. "...the Honey Haven."

"Honey…Haven?" Pikachu asked as he and Luke looked on in confusion.

"Beedrill, Combee, and Vespiquen make their Sweet Honey there," Lucario replied. "They will be agitated trying to defend it. Your goal is to get to the deepest point of the Honey Haven and bring back a batch of the freshest, finest, and most delicious honey that resides there. But be warned. In that deep point lives a powerful Pokémon. The Pokémon is very territorial and aggressive, and he LOVES the honey that he guards. Even the Pokémon I mentioned earlier fear him. He will actively defend that honey, so you'll have to knock him out to get it."

 _Whoa…_ Luke thought. _We have to knock it out? That will be hard, if what Dad says is anything to go by._

Pikachu looked at Luke with an expression of fear.

Luke gave a reassuring smile and said, _We can do it._

Pikachu nodded. "You're right."

"Great," Lucario said. "Pikachu, I trust you have your map in your bag?" When Pikachu nodded, Lucario continued, "Let me see it. I'll mark the location of Honey Haven." Lucario took the map Pikachu pulled out, marked it with a pen he had on his stand next to his rocking chair, and gave it back to Pikachu. "Now," he finished. "Sleep. You boys have a long day tomorrow."

The boys went to bed, as did Lucario after he extinguished the fire.

"Up and at 'em!" Lucario cried loudly, waking Luke and Pikachu early in the morning.

Luke and Pikachu groaned, woke up, and rubbed their eyes.

"I'm heading out to my job, which means you two need to as well!" Lucario energetically exclaimed. "Get yourselves ready and get me some of that honey from Honey Haven!"

Pikachu struggled to get up to his feet, and Luke hated leaving his comfy bed so much he just rolled onto the floor.

"C'mon, Luke," Pikachu said to Luke, trudging over to him and shaking him up. "We gotta get moving."

Luke got to his feet, and he and Pikachu slowly moved toward the door.

"Good. You boys are up," Lucario said, clapping to get them moving. "I'm leaving. Get your supplies, then head off to Honey Haven. Good-bye!"

"Bye," the boys said exhaustedly as Lucario sprang out the door.

The shops were just opening for the day as Luke and Pikachu gradually woke themselves while getting their supplies. Pretty soon, when they had finished organizing their necessary supplies, they were just as chipper as Lucario had been.

"All right, Luke," Pikachu said, pulling out his map. "Honey Haven is right here." He pointed to the mark Lucario had made on the map. "And we're here." He pointed to their current location. He indicated a path and said, "If we go along this way, we should get to the Honey Haven without any issue."

And so they did. Entering the Honey Haven, they found a forest lined with beehives, dripping with Sweet Honey as the trees were. Combee, Beedrill, and Vespiquen roamed the Mystery Dungeon and attacked Luke and Pikachu at every turn; they were very aggressive, but Luke and Pikachu held them off and fought brilliantly; it helped that Luke resisted their Bug-type moves and Pikachu's Electric-type moves could easily take down Combee and Vespiquen.

After the third floor, there was a rest stop of sorts; there were no enemies or items, and the bizarre Mystery Dungeon mechanics weren't in play. The day was still young, so Luke and Pikachu took a break.

"Whoa," Pikachu said. "Those Bug-type Pokémon are TOUGH."

 _You said it,_ Luke affirmed. _It worries me to think of the Pokémon in the deepest part of Honey Haven that they even fear._

"Yeah," Pikachu said, walking over to a box. "I'm going to sort our items, put away what we don't need, and get some extra stuff we might need in this Deposit Box. It's connected to the First Bank of Felicity, so stuff gets sent to and from there as we need it here."

 _That's convenient,_ Luke replied.

"Yeah," Pikachu said. "Here." He tossed Luke an apple. "We need all our strength to finish this quest, so eat up."

Luke and Pikachu ate and rested up for a short while, then continued forward.

The Pokémon they faced were even tougher than before. It took all of their strength, but Luke and Pikachu made it relatively unscathed to the fifth floor.

There, they found a clearing absolutely covered with honey. It looked so fresh and pure that it gave off its own light.

"Wow," Pikachu said, beaming. "That looks delicious."

 _I could eat all of that right now,_ Luke added, beaming similarly.

"Me too!" Pikachu replied, pulling out some huge jars he'd packed in his bag. "Now, let's get some of that honey for Dad."

"You will not touch one drop of this pure honey!" an angry voice yelled.

 _Oh, yeah,_ Luke said. _Dad said there'd be a powerful Pokémon guarding this honey. I'd forgotten, the honey looked so good._ He and Pikachu looked around for the source of the voice.

"You have invaded my sweet sanctum!" the voice continued. "Therefore, you shall pay dearly! Gwah!"

A large, blue, clearly Bug-type Pokémon with an impressive horned nose leapt down from a large tree and landed in front of Luke and Pikachu.

The Pokémon yelled, "Hear me! I am Heracross, ruler of this honey! Let my name be burned into your memory as I reprimand you for your disgraceful invasion of my land, so you may fear me and warn others to do the same, that I am never disturbed here again!"

Bravely, Pikachu stated, "We aren't leaving without some of that honey."

Heracross seemed shocked by Pikachu's boldness. He said, "So be it, then. You shall not leave at all!"

"H-here he comes, Luke!" Pikachu said fearfully.

 _Let's do this!_ Luke responded with courage, inspiring Pikachu to be brave as well.

"Craaah!" Heracross cried, beginning a charge, and the battle was on.

Luke and Pikachu dodged Heracross's charge and rebelled with a Quick Attack and Thunder Shock, respectively.

Heracross didn't even flinch. He continued with a Megahorn on Pikachu, which flung Pikachu into a nearby tree.

Pikachu ate a Reviver Seed to get to his feet as Luke followed up with a Bite and a Brick Break (which he learned from a TM). This didn't do much to Heracross, but it bought time for Pikachu to launch a Thunderbolt at Heracross.

The little hits they were dealing built up, and Heracross became more exhausted. Luke and Pikachu would occasionally revive themselves when Heracross dealt a strong blow, but they were mostly nimble enough to dodge Heracross's rampage.

Finally, after Heracross missed another Megahorn, a combined Brick Break and Thunderbolt from Luke and Pikachu knocked out Heracross. He collapsed.

All three of them were breathing hard from the battle.

"He…he's down," Pikachu finally said. "We…did it."

 _Let's…get…some Sweet Honey before Heracross recovers,_ Luke replied.

Pikachu handed Luke one of the big jars, and they both scooped up lots of the honey and filled the jars to the brim, before sealing them and putting them in Pikachu's bag.

Still, Luke got to thinking…

 _Is this right? Stealing this Pokémon's food to further our own goals? He's just protecting what belongs to him. Maybe…we should give the honey back._ He said this to Pikachu.

Pikachu got a weird expression on his face. He knew it was right, but he didn't want to throw away the spoils of victory, and he wanted to be an adventurer.

Before Pikachu could reply, Heracross came to and got to his feet. Luke and Pikachu flinched in fear, but Heracross raised his arm peacefully.

"You two defeated me," he said. "Well done." He crossed his arms. "BUT…did you think I wouldn't notice you two absconding with my precious honey?" As Luke and Pikachu looked at him guiltily, Heracross smiled and continued, "Well, maybe I have been a little stingy with this honey. If you really want it, take it. It's yours. You've earned it, for all you've done."

 _Heracross…_ Luke began.

"Thank you so much!" Pikachu finished.

"You're very welcome," Heracross replied. "You're strong. I like you two." With a smile, he said, "I bet you we'll meet again at some point. When that time comes, consider me an ally. Your strength has won me."

"Wow, thanks a lot!" Pikachu said. "For now, we'll get out of your hair. Let's go, Luke!"

Luke nodded and the duo left with their honey.

"See you two later!" Heracross cried, waving. The boys returned his goodbye and waved back.

They got home at the same time as Lucario. They showed Lucario the honey they had retrieved, and Lucario proudly put on some tea.

Around the fire, the boys recounted their adventure and their battle and subsequent befriending of Heracross, and how they got the honey. When the tea was ready, they drank it with some of the honey they had gotten. It was the best tea they ever had.

Finally, the fire was put out, and they all went to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Some More Rescues

Luke and Pikachu woke up a little later the next morning, so they weren't quite so tired.

However, the manner in which they woke up was a bit more startling.

"Boys, wake up!" Lucario yelled, panting, as they woke with a start. "I let you two sleep a little longer because I was looking for a mission for you two! Well, I found one! Apparently, Togetic decided to imitate Munchlax's little stunt and got herself lost in the Dark Woods!"

"What?!" Pikachu cried out in shock. "Come on, Luke, we've no time to waste!"

 _Right!_ Luke responded, and they headed right out the door.

"She's a little stronger than Munchlax, so I'll bet she got farther into the Dark Woods!" Lucario called to them. "Munchlax is worried sick, he knows what's in there! Save Togetic, for his sake!"

The boys very quickly got their supplies together and then headed straight for the Dark Woods; Munchlax was right outside.

"Guys, you gotta save Togetic, please!" Munchlax begged. "It's awful in there! Who knows what's even deeper in there!" Then he jumped up and down. "I can help you, let me come with you!"

Luke and Pikachu looked at each other; Munchlax had gotten lost in there before because of hunger; would they be able to support Munchlax's appetite?

As if hearing their thoughts, Munchlax said, "I've got a whole bunch of food with me, don't worry about that! We gotta save Togetic."

Pikachu looked at Luke, who nodded, then said to Munchlax, "OK. You can come. But stay close to us."

"You bet!" Munchlax responded with determination.

They headed into the Dark Woods.

They barreled through the first six floors, the distance they went last time, fairly quickly; Luke and Pikachu noted that this was because of Munchlax; he certainly was a lot stronger than he seemed…

Luke took note of what Pikachu had told him about Mystery Dungeons never being the same twice; it had a much different layout than last time.

The enemies on the next floors were somewhat more difficult than before, but Luke, Pikachu, and the strangely strong Munchlax held them off very well.

Finally, on the tenth floor, they reached the fainted Togetic; Munchlax was the first to her side with a Reviver Seed.

"Togetic! Togetic! It's me, your ol' buddy Munchlax!" Munchlax said, shaking Togetic and feeding her the Reviver Seed. "You didn't have to do this! Get up! Let's go home and play there!"

Coughing, Togetic woke up. Munchlax heaved a sigh of relief at this.

"M-Munchlax?" Togetic muttered as she got to her feet. "Did you save me?"

"Well," Munchlax replied, his face turning red, "They helped." He pointed to Luke and Pikachu.

"T-They were the ones who saved you before," Togetic said as her wings fluttered and she began to float in the air. "All three of you…thank you. Munchlax…I'm sorry. Your adventure sounded so cool. But…let's go home and play there."

Beaming, the four went home.

As Munchlax and Togetic headed in the opposite direction, Luke and Pikachu headed home, reported to Lucario, and had a nice, calm evening with their adoptive father before going to bed.

"Boys, get up," Lucario said, waking the boys up the next morning. "Psyduck wandered into Tidal Beach earlier and hasn't returned. This is a case I'm sure you boys can handle after your recent victories. Before waking you up, I took the liberty of marking the location of Tidal Beach on Pikachu's map. I'm off to my job, so get your supplies and get moving."

"Yes sir!" Pikachu said, with Luke following suit. They saluted Lucario like a commander, prompting Lucario to chuckle as he headed out.

Quickly, Luke and Pikachu loaded up on supplies and headed into Tidal Beach.

In there, Staryu, Goldeen, and many other Water-type Pokémon dwelled. They were indeed strong, but Luke and Pikachu, from the experience they were getting, were yet stronger. They remembered their strategies from previous dungeons, and, fighting tougher Pokémon like Seadra, their strategy while fighting Heracross.

On the fifth floor, they found a Psyduck writhing in pain, clutching his head.

"Ow ow ow ow," Psyduck said rhythmically.

As he and Luke rushed to Psyduck's side, Pikachu said, "Are you all right?! You seem to be in a lot of pain!"

"Gwagh-guh! Don't worry about the pain," Psyduck said. "I always have a brutal headache. It just kind of started acting up, so I got wiped out."

Luke and Pikachu helped Psyduck to his feet as he continued to clutch his head.

"All right," Pikachu said. "Let's go home."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Psyduck said. "I don't know why they're taking so long, but I got wiped out because this room is a Monster House."

 _Monster House?_ Luke inquired. _What's that?_

Unfortunately, before Psyduck or Pikachu could answer his question, hordes of the Pokémon of Tidal Beach jumped down from the ceiling and surrounded the three, answering Luke's question.

"No!" Pikachu cried. "There's no way we'll get through!"

 _What are we going to do?!_ Luke said. _We're going to get wiped out!_

"Psy-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi…" Psyduck started to say, pretty much out of his own control, as he clenched his eyes and clutched his head harder. "…yi-yi-yi-yi-yi…"

Luke wanted to inquire what was wrong with Psyduck, but Pikachu stopped him, knowing they wouldn't get an answer and indicating the dire situation around them.

Before Luke or Pikachu could take action, however, Psyduck continued and yelled, "…yi-yi-yi-yi…DUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKK!"

At the last syllable, a massive burst of energy came from Psyduck's head and blasted away all of the foes in the Monster House. Psyduck fell over and regained his senses.

Luke and Pikachu helped Psyduck to his feet.

"What WAS that?!" Pikachu asked.

"I don't know," Psyduck replied. "That happens to me sometimes, and I get headaches just thinking about it. Well, at least my headache isn't so bad now. Let's get out of here before they come back."

Luke and Pikachu helped Psyduck out of Tidal Beach.

When they got home, Psyduck broke free of Luke and Pikachu, and, clutching his head, said, "Thanks a bunch for helping me, I can take it from here. I gotta…think about what happened back there. Psy-yi-yi-yi-yi…" He stumbled away.

"Be careful, Psyduck!" Pikachu cried.

 _Another successful day, Pikachu,_ Luke said victoriously. _Let's go home._

They went home and reported to Lucario their trek through Tidal Beach, the Monster House, and Psyduck's bizarre power. Lucario explained to the boys that such was characteristic for Psyduck as a species.

After another peaceful evening, the three went to bed.

In the morning, as usual, Lucario roused the boys.

"Good morning, boys," Lucario said. This was with much more confidence than usual; they were beginning to prove themselves to him. "Today you will embark to the Desert's Dunes. Hippopotas went to bathe in the cooling sands deep under the dunes, and she hasn't returned. As usual, I've marked the spot on the map, so get your supplies and go. I'm off to my job."

The boys got their supplies together from town and headed to the spot marked on the map.

The desert was incredibly hot, as was the sand under their feet.

"How could Hippopotas hope to cool down in this oppressive heat?!" Pikachu complained. "Man!"

 _Well, quite conveniently, the stairs are right there, and they go down,_ Luke pointed out. _If we go down deeper, I'll bet it'll get cooler, and we'll find Hippopotas._

Luke's prediction was correct. As they went down, the air became cooler, as did the sand beneath their feet. They were able to fend off the Sandile, Geodude, and other Ground-type Pokémon they encountered.

Reaching the seventh floor, the cooling sand was downright calming and relieving, and, sure enough, Luke and Pikachu found Hippopotas bathing in the sand. They approached Hippopotas.

After Luke and Pikachu explained their journey, Hippopotas said, "So you are here to rescue me?" Her voice had an odd, but dignified accent; she sounded amused and entertained, but it wasn't a haughty amusement, actually quite the opposite. "Yes, I wiped out, but I'm recovering by bathing in this cool sand. You boys look exhausted; take a load-off here in the sand, and then we'll head back, with you as my mighty heroes."

Luke and Pikachu took Hippopotas's advice and laid back in the cooling sands. The exhaustion of their journey seemed to drain away and be swallowed by the desert. They sighed with relief and even took a nap in the sand.

"Wake up, boys," Hippopotas said, nudging them with her foot. "It's getting late; we should head back."

Luke and Pikachu stretched, yawned, and got up, shaking the sand off of themselves.

"You weren't kidding, Hippopotas," Pikachu said. "This cooling sand bath was nice."

 _Indeed,_ Luke said. _We should do this again sometime, Pikachu. Now, Hippopotas, let's go home._

They traveled back to Felicity Town, and Hippopotas headed to her home. "Thank you very much for checking on me," Hippopotas said as she left. "I appreciated the company at the bath."

Luke and Pikachu headed home to Lucario, and gave their report, admitting that the situation wasn't too dire and that they even took a nap in the sand. Lucario chuckled and congratulated the boys on another job well done.

After another calming and peaceful evening, the three went to bed.


	7. Chapter 7: A Legendary Mission

Because they had taken a nap earlier, Luke and Pikachu couldn't get to sleep. Lucario, on the other hand, was out like a light.

"Luke," Pikachu whispered. "I've been having fun adventuring with you. I hope we always get to go on like this."

Luke smiled and nodded in response. Yet, deep down, he once again had to consider who he was, why he was here…

"We've been doing so well lately," Pikachu continued, interrupting Luke's train of thought. "I wonder if we're any closer to becoming true explorers, like Dad promised."

 _I'll bet we are,_ Luke responded. _Let's ask Dad tomorrow morning._ He yawned; he was finally getting sleepy. A yawn from Pikachu indicated the same with him.

"Good night, brother," Pikachu said. "Let's keep knocking these missions out of the park."

They went to sleep.

The next morning, the boys woke up before Lucario came back from finding a mission for them. They stretched, got up, and got everything together to head out, just as Lucario came back, with a strained expression on his face.

Lucario's eyes widened in shock. "You're up early. Couldn't wait to get out there, huh?"

Pikachu said, "Yeah. Actually, Dad, we wanted to ask you…are we any closer to becoming true explorers, as you said we would be after we proved ourselves?"

"Ah," Lucario said, sighing. "Well, you see, boys, it's a tough world out there, and I've been sending you on these missions to prepare for that. You've been doing admirably so far. You…certainly are getting close, but you aren't QUITE there yet." Luke and Pikachu's expressions began to glaze with disappointment, but Lucario cut in and said, "Well, it just so happens, I've got what could potentially be a very difficult mission. If you complete this, you will…not be there yet, but you'll be one or two missions away. Normally, I'd assign more missions, but this one…boys, I'm not going to lie, this one's going to be rough, even considering what you boys have done."

 _We're ready,_ Luke said.

"OK, then," Lucario said with a sigh. "Porygon2 headed into the Sacred Electric Lands to test his mettle and he hasn't returned. I…I'm really worried about him. There's a dangerously powerful Pokémon that lives there. If Porygon2 tried to challenge that Pokémon…I can't even bear to think about it." Lucario paused, then continued, "You know what, boys…I don't even know if I want you taking on this mission. Just back out, and wait a little while longer. Take some other missions instead and take today off, and someone else can handle this."

"No!" Pikachu cried. "We've been working really hard for this, and we're going to rescue Porygon2 and prove ourselves to you!"

Lucario sighed with a pained expression. "Very well," Lucario said. "Please be careful, boys. And whatever you do, don't battle that powerful Pokémon." He embraced them, marked the map with the location of the Sacred Electric Lands, then quickly left, trying to hide his intense worry.

"Luke, you heard Dad," Pikachu said. "This is going to be our toughest mission yet. But we can't let him down. Let's go."

As quickly as they could, they stocked up on extra supplies and went to the Sacred Electric Lands.

Huge bolts of lightning crackled across the darkened sky, and it caused the air around the electric Pikachu to crackle.

 _Wow_ , Luke said. _This looks dangerous. Can we really do this?_ Doubt. For the first time, Luke had doubt.

A bolt of lightning struck Pikachu's elevated tail, knocking Luke away.

 _Pikachu!_ Luke cried. _Are you OK?_

"Hah-HAH!" Pikachu cried out victoriously. "This is MY element! I feel extra powerful today! Let's go, Luke!" Pikachu was bouncing back and forth. "We can take this one!"

Entering the dungeon, Voltorb, Electrike, Shinx, and many other Electric-types roamed about and attacked. The electrified Pikachu took and resisted their hits, and he and Luke were able to fend off their attackers.

By the time they reached the seventh floor and rest stop, Luke was exhausted, but Pikachu was raring to go, but not quite as much. He was around his normal level of enthusiasm.

In the rest stop was an exhausted Pokémon; it looked digital, like it had been programmed on a computer.

"Beep beep boop," it said slowly.

Pikachu apprehensively approached it, lightly kicked it, and asked, "Porygon2?"

With a whirring sound, the Pokémon sprang to life, spun around, and faced Luke and Pikachu.

It said, "IDENTIFICATION PROTOCOL ACTIVATED. NAME: PORYGON2. TYPE: NORMAL. FUNCTION: UPGRADE OF PRIMARY PORYGON PROGRAM, FOR INCREASED POWER OUTPUT AND DEFENSIVE MEASURES; FURTHER BATTLE AND EXPLORATION CAPABILITIES THAN PORYGON PRIME. IDENTIFICATION COMPLETE. ACTIVATING SENTIENCE FOR IMPROVED EXECUTION OF FUNCTION. ACTIVATING…" Porygon2 paused. Then he said, "OH, HELLO. I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT; I REQUIRE A REBOOT WHENEVER I WIPE OUT LIKE THAT. PIKACHU, ARE YOU AND YOUR FRIEND HERE TO RESCUE ME?"

"Yes," Pikachu said. "This is my exploration partner and brother, Luke. We heard you wiped out after entering this dungeon. We're here to take you back to town."

"I'M AFRAID I CAN'T DO THAT," Porygon2 replied. "I CAME TO TEST MY POWER BY DEFEATING THE LEGENDARY POKÉMON THAT RESIDES IN THESE SACRED ELECTRIC LANDS."

"Legendary Pokémon?!" Pikachu cried. "You tried to take on one of the most powerful Pokémon in existence to test your strength?! No one can stand up to the legendary Pokémon! Why would you do this?!"

"I SOUGHT TO TEST AND INCREASE MY POWER OUTPUT EFFICIENTLY," Porygon2 replied. "I FIGURED I COULD TAKE ON THE LEGENDARY POKÉMON HERE FOR SUCH EFFICIENCY. UNFORTUNATELY, THE POKÉMON'S POWER WAS GREATER THAN I ANTICIPATED, AND I WIPED OUT. I VOWED TO TRY AGAIN AFTER A REBOOT, THEN POWERED DOWN TO RECHARGE. I FULLY INTEND TO TRY AGAIN."

 _His boldness is either very inspiring or very misguided,_ Luke thought to himself. _Either way, I feel it rubbing off on me. Which means that Pikachu, for how his power is amplified here…_

"We'll help you fight the Pokémon, then!" Pikachu proclaimed, reflecting Porygon2's boldness. Luke started with surprise.

"I WOULD WELCOME THE ASSISTANCE," said Porygon2. "IT WOULD BE A FINE WAY TO TEST YOUR OWN METTLE AS WELL."

 _Dad told us not to battle the Pokémon! Are you sure about this?!_ Luke asked Pikachu.

"Absolutely!" Pikachu responded. "We can take on anything! We can weather any storm!" Pikachu pointed to his and Luke's scarves. "We gotta prove ourselves to Dad!"

This was way too foolhardy. But Pikachu's comradery and boldness were downright inspiring. Whatever Luke said, Pikachu wouldn't listen, and neither would Porygon2; he couldn't leave them alone. So Luke sighed and said, _I hate to defy Dad, but you're right. Pikachu, Porygon2, let's go._

The three ventured forward. The evolved forms of the other Pokémon attacked the three, but Luke, Pikachu, and Porygon2 were able to hold them off.

Pikachu was stronger than usual as a result of the electrified atmosphere, Luke noted, and Porygon2 was also incredibly strong; it was no wonder he'd made it so far by himself. It made getting through the Sacred Electric Lands far easier.

Finally, after the tenth floor, they reached a clearing with a lone, blue shrine in the center of it.

"WELL, THIS IS WHERE I ENCOUNTERED THE LEGENDARY POKÉMON EARLIER," said Porygon2. "HE'S GOT A WILD SPIRIT, HE'S VERY PROUD, AND HE WON'T DENY A CHALLENGE; USEFUL DATA ACQUIRED FROM MY PREVIOUS BATTLE, HE…"

Porygon2 was cut off by a vicious burst of lightning on the shrine, accompanied by a ferocious-looking blue flying Pokémon descending from the sky and firing lightning bolts everywhere from its tail. Luke, Pikachu, and Porygon2 could barely dodge the lightning bolts.

"GRAAAAAHHHH!" the Pokémon bellowed, plummeting down to just above the ground in front of Luke, Pikachu, and Porygon2.

"Ha-ha!" the Pokémon laughed, turning to Porygon2, who stood in front of Luke and Pikachu. "So you have returned to challenge me once more! And you've brought company with you, eh?! Well, even with your increased numbers, you shall be no match for the mighty Thundurus! Hah hah!"

"YOUR ARROGANCE WILL BE SHORT-LIVED!" Porygon2 cried out in retaliation. "ME AND MY ALLIES WILL TAKE YOU DOWN!"

"Yeah!" Pikachu added. "I'm overflowing with electricity, too!"

 _For my friends and family, I will never give up on a challenge like this!_ Luke said.

"You call it arrogance, I call it confidence in my power!" Thundurus responded. "But I like the confidence you three exude! Let this be a fair battle! Hold back none of your power, so I can savor my victory! YAHH!" He launched a powerful lightning bolt from his tail, and the battle began.

Pikachu absorbed the lightning with his tail, but found that such power was a little too much, even for him. He directed the excess power at Thundurus through a Thunderbolt, who was blown backward by the attack.

Nevertheless, Thundurus shook it off like it was nothing and retaliated with another Thunder attack.

Pikachu leapt in and launched a Thunderbolt to block Thundurus's attack. It worked.

Pikachu and Thundurus were thrown backward by the attacks meeting, and Porygon2 said, "LET ME TAKE THIS FROM HERE, PIKACHU." Before Thundurus could recover, Porygon2 used a swift and powerful Tackle on Thundurus, plowing Thundurus into his shrine.

Still, Thundurus seemed unfazed, even when Porygon2 hit him with a powerful Tri Attack. Thundurus launched a Hurricane attack at Porygon2, which hurled Porygon2 into a tree and cleanly knocked him out.

Luke was tempted to help Porygon2, but Porygon2 needed to recharge, which would take too much time, given the dire situation; Pikachu was too caught up in the heat of the battle and the amplified electric atmosphere to even think logically, and he stood, tail aloft, to absorb another Electric-type attack from Thundurus.

It was too much. A Thunder attack from Thundurus overcharged Pikachu, and Pikachu, having lost all reason in this battle, used all his electricity in a powerful Thunderbolt, which blasted Thundurus backward into his shrine again. Pikachu fainted, but Thundurus was still standing.

It was up to Luke to single-handedly take down this legendary Pokémon he had a type disadvantage against; Porygon2 was still recharging and he and Pikachu were out of Reviver Seeds; it all fell on Luke.

 _Even in the face of this danger, I won't give up!_ Luke cried out, and he landed a Brick Break on Thundurus. It wasn't very effective, but Luke didn't care; the drive to protect his allies overtook everything else; he WOULD defeat Thundurus.

Thundurus laughed at Luke's seemingly useless resolve, but coughed; Pikachu and Porygon2's attacks had really done a number on him, even if he didn't show it.

This was his shot; Luke backed up and used Quick Attack three times in a row.

It certainly hurt Thundurus, but he wasn't done yet; having recovered from his strain, Thundurus launched a Shock Wave right at Luke. It was guaranteed to hit.

Luke took damage, but he shook it off, following it up with another Quick Attack.

After successfully dodging a Thunder attack, Luke went in for the Brick Break; at that same moment, Thundurus launched another Thunder attack.

As Luke launched the Brick Break, Thunder connected.

Being hit with Thunder, Luke was able to reflect some of it off of his Brick Break back onto Thundurus, then outright smacked Thundurus with it through his Brick Break, which finally connected.

There was a massive explosion.

When the dust settled, Luke was still standing, but only barely; he was shaking, and could hardly support himself due to his battle injuries. But he grinned victoriously.

Thundurus had been knocked out.

Luke hurried over to Pikachu and shook him awake. _We won! Pikachu, we did it! We beat Thundurus!_

Pikachu coughed as he woke up, and he chuckled. "Guess I overdid it, huh?" Before Luke could respond, Pikachu said, "I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me. Don't…ever let me do that again."

Luke embraced his brother and helped him up.

At the same time, they heard Porygon2 going through his reboot process.

 _Let's get Porygon2 and go home,_ Luke said. But before he could take another step, Luke collapsed from exhaustion.

"Luke…Luke…" Pikachu was worn out as well. Heaving, he sat down next to Luke.

"LUKE! PIKACHU!" a familiar voice rang.

The familiar voice gave way to Lucario springing from the bushes into the clearing.

"My boys," he said, sobbing and embracing them. "Are you OK?"

"Never better," the dazed Pikachu said with a smile.

 _Dad,_ Luke muttered. _We…beat…Thundurus._

"INDEED, WE DID," Porygon2 added, having finished his reboot as he slowly joined Luke and Pikachu. "YOUR SONS WERE EXCELLENT OUT THERE."

"I must agree," the booming voice of Thundurus said as he woke and weakly went over to the group. "Pikachu's electric powers are something to be proud of, and Luke's hand-to-hand battle prowess is unlike almost anything I've ever seen. Your sons are to be commended, sir. I went all out on them, and they, as well as that crafty Porygon2, still beat me." After a chastising look from Lucario, a weakened and oddly meek Thundurus said, "I'm sorry I injured these three. I can't help myself in the heat of combat. Please forgive me." With nods from Luke, Pikachu, Porygon2, and thus a hesitant Lucario, Thundurus said, "With that, I take my leave. My commendations once again." He disappeared into the clouds above.

"All right, let's get you home," Lucario said, helping the boys. "You too, Porygon2. I'll tend to your injuries."

The three thanked Lucario, and the group headed home.


	8. Chapter 8: One Final Challenge

"What were you thinking?" Lucario chastised the three as he tended to them. "Thundurus is a legendary Pokémon! It's absolutely foolish to battle such a powerful Pokémon, especially one like Thundurus! Have you not heard the legends? Thundurus is a wild Pokémon, and he can't control himself when he gets caught up in a rampage like that! It's been so bad, when he and his counterpart Tornadus battle, entire lands are destroyed and Landorus, another legendary Pokémon, has to intervene! A Pokémon that ruins entire lands! Why would you intentionally try to battle a Pokémon like that?"

… _I'd never heard that legend,_ Luke thought to himself. _If I'd heard it, I'd have thought twice before taking up that challenge._

"BUT, SIR, WE WON," Porygon2 said.

"Quiet!" Lucario yelled. Luke and Pikachu recoiled in fear; this was the first time Luke had ever seen Lucario truly angry. "My sons are injured because you dragged them into this! Yes, you won, but only barely!"

"Dad," Pikachu muttered, getting Lucario's attention. "It's not his fault. I got caught up in the heat of battle and the electric charge in the air. Luke came just to protect us. I'm sorry."

Lucario's angry expression softened toward Pikachu. "Well, I suppose your only crime is trying to help a Pokémon in need with more drive and foolishness than usual." His expression became stern. "But still, it was an incredibly foolish thing to do." He backed up. "Well, you three seem to be OK now. Porygon2, you can head on home."

"THANK YOU, SIR," Porygon2 said, leaving.

 _Porygon2 seems to respect Dad a lot,_ Luke thought. _Even Thundurus, a legendary Pokémon, seemed to have a humble respect for him. But…why? Well…Dad really is the type of Pokémon who commands respect from anyone he meets._

"As for you boys," Lucario said sternly, breaking Luke's train of thought. "You disobeyed me. No dinner tonight. You need to think about what a foolish decision you made. And no Mystery Dungeon missions tomorrow. You need time to recover, anyways. Now, straight to bed, both of you."

Respecting Lucario's wishes, the boys went to bed and thought about their foolishness, despite their exhaustion. They didn't talk; each was caught up in his own thoughts.

Finally, Lucario asked, "Well? What do you boys have to say for yourselves?"

Pikachu began, "We foolishly took on a challenge that would put us in danger, and we did it knowing you said not to, knowing how much it would hurt you if something happened to us. Dad, I'm sorry."

 _I'm sorry, too,_ Luke said. _It was reckless to defy you and endanger ourselves and encourage someone else to do the same just to prove ourselves to you._

"Thank you," Lucario said. "I forgive you two. I'm proud of you two for acknowledging your mistake. Now, off to sleep. You won't go on any missions tomorrow; you two need to recover. Good night, boys." He put out the fire, and, along with Luke and Pikachu, went to sleep.

Luke and Pikachu woke up at the normal time, but were still exhausted. Realizing they weren't going on a mission that day, simultaneously, they wordlessly rolled over and went back to sleep.

They were awakened by Lucario arriving home in the early afternoon, early for his time, as Pikachu noted. He inquired why Lucario was home so early.

"I wanted to be here as you finished recovering," he replied as he went over to his chair. "Boys, come here; I want to talk to you."

Luke and Pikachu got up from their beds and went over to the front of the un-lit fireplace and sat to listen to what Lucario had to say.

"I…I'm sorry," Lucario said. "I presented you with a challenge that should have been too much for you and then punished you when you saw it through. I just got so scared at the thought of something happening to you two. This whole situation has been foolish…on MY part. I'm very sorry, boys."

Luke and Pikachu leapt on Lucario's lap and embraced him, showing their forgiveness.

After that tender moment, Luke and Pikachu returned to the floor and faced Lucario.

Lucario sighed and said, "With all that out of the way, I must say, defeating a legendary Pokémon in battle is no small accomplishment. In that regard, I congratulate you boys. In another regard, you boys surmounted a far greater challenge than I would have intended out of many missions in just one. It's clear to me you boys are growing in experience faster than I thought. I think…" He paused and sighed. "I think you're ready to be true explorers…"

Luke and Pikachu started to cheer.

"…PENDING one more mission," Lucario interrupted, calming the boys. "Tomorrow, we are going to the Challenger's Dungeon."

 _Challenger's…Dungeon?_ Luke inquired. _We?_

"The Challenger's Dungeon is an incredibly difficult Mystery Dungeon that all pending explorers must venture through in order to be named true explorers," Lucario explained. "And yes, 'we.' It's far too difficult for fresh explorers like yourself to make it through alone, and so it is customary for an experienced mentor to guide them through. In this case, as I've said, I'm a seasoned explorer myself, and I've been the one assigning you missions to test your mettle, training you. Thus, I will be your mentor and guide you through. Surmount this last obstacle and, boys, you will take up dungeon exploration."

The boys continued their cheer, which prompted the loving Lucario to chuckle at their joy.

"Well," Lucario cut in. "There's still daylight. You boys haven't eaten in a while; you went without dinner last night and slept all day. You must be starved."

As their stomachs growled simultaneously, Luke and Pikachu chuckled.

"I'll prepare a feast!" Lucario stated. "A feast to prepare us for tomorrow's journey! Eat up and rest up, for tomorrow, you boys take the final step to becoming explorers!"

The boys cheered again.

What a feast it was! While Luke couldn't identify everything Lucario made (he hadn't been in the Pokémon world that long), all of it tasted phenomenal! All three of them devoured as much as they could, then Lucario put away the leftovers for later times.

Having eaten their fills, Luke, Pikachu, and Lucario relaxed in front of the fire, then went to bed.

Luke and Pikachu awoke bright and early; they were too excited to sleep in! They got their supplies together.

Lucario woke up at the same time as Luke and Pikachu; he already had his supplies together.

When the boys finished gathering their supplies, as they headed out, Lucario said, "Remember, boys! A good explorer always has his supplies at the ready, in case of an emergency! On that note, let's get our supplies together and get moving!"

" _YES SIR!"_ the boys cried in unison.

After stocking up from each of the stores, Luke and Pikachu followed Lucario to a Mystery Dungeon: the Challenger's Dungeon.

"Stay close, boys," Lucario warned as they entered. "This is a large and intense dungeon full of traps and ruthlessly strong Pokémon. If you wander off, you WILL wipe out."

The boys stuck close to Lucario. Powerful Pokémon attacked at every turn at a dizzying rate; Luke could barely tell what they all were, the effort from attacking with all his might exhausted him so much.

Most of the time, Lucario let the boys handle what they could; he gave them little pointers and took the offensive when the boys began to struggle, but he never directly helped them, in combat or otherwise; he was staying true to his position as a mentor, closely monitoring the boys in these situations.

After the seventh floor, there was a rest stop, and the group took a breather.

"Wow, Luke, this is intense," Pikachu said in the middle of heavy breathing.

 _Yeah,_ Luke agreed. _Thanks a lot for being our guide, Dad._

"You boys have done admirably well so far," Lucario replied. "But don't thank me yet. You aren't out of the woods yet. The greatest challenges are yet to come." After the boys had recovered some, Lucario said, "Come on. Let's keep moving."

The Pokémon were even stronger higher up. Traps seemed to litter every other step, and the group even ran into a Monster House on the eighth floor. They fought through, guided by Lucario, and went past the tenth floor.

They came to a clearing.

"Well," Lucario said. "We've reached the end of the dungeon."

Luke and Pikachu gasped with excitement, and Pikachu said, "Does this mean we're true explorers?!"

A sinister grin unlike any the boys had seen before crept across Lucario's face.

 _Um, Dad…_ Luke began.

"Oh, no, boys," Lucario cut in, with a dark tone of voice. "You aren't true explorers JUST yet. One challenge more awaits you, right in this clearing. It's a Pokémon…a powerful Pokémon unlike any you've faced yet."

"And…" Pikachu ventured, his voice quavering. "What Pokémon would that be?"

Lucario vanished from the boys' side; Luke noticed that he'd leapt high into the air. With a flip and a powerful thud, Lucario landed in front of Pikachu and Luke, and his fist drove into the ground.

"ME!" he cried out with that grin on his face. "I am your final challenge! As is customary in this dungeon, the pupils must prove their worth in dungeon exploration by facing their mentor in combat! You see, boys, I've been testing you this whole time, from the very beginning! Every rescue, every battle was arranged by me! I've been testing the limits of your power! And now, I stand as your final obstacle in becoming true explorers!"

Luke and Pikachu had to recover from the shock of all of this.

 _He's been…setting us up?_ Luke thought.

"How can we…battle…our father?" Pikachu asked.

 _I don't exactly feel pity right now,_ Luke replied. _Look at him. Right now, he's not a tender, old Pokémon. He's a vicious battler. That determined face says it all._

"Hold none of your power back!" Lucario cried out. "Come at me!"

Pikachu nodded, agreeing with Luke. "You're right. We gotta do this! For the sake of becoming explorers! Let's go, Luke!"

 _Yaaaaaahhhhh!_ Luke cried out, charging at Lucario. The battle was on.

Luke launched a Brick Break, which would be super effective…if Lucario didn't dodge and retaliate with a Bone Club.

Luke landed hard on the ground, but sprung back up as Lucario turned to deal with Pikachu.

Pikachu kept a safe distance and launched a Thunderbolt. Lucario dodged and launched an Aura Sphere; a sure hit.

As Lucario fired the Aura Sphere, Luke executed another Brick Break. This was a successful hit, and it threw Lucario a fair distance and dealt a lot of damage. Lucario shook it off and retaliated with another Aura Sphere.

Pikachu, having recovered from his Aura Sphere attack, hit Lucario with a Thunderbolt.

Lucario was paralyzed by it, so he couldn't attack.

Luke and Pikachu took the opportunity and hit Lucario with two Brick Breaks and two Thunderbolts before Lucario recovered; by the time Lucario recovered, he was badly damaged.

In desperation, he fired two more Aura Spheres, one in each direction.

Seeing the unavoidable attacks coming, Luke and Pikachu used Brick Break and Thunderbolt, respectively, once more.

When the dust settled after all of these attacks, Luke and Pikachu were breathing heavily but still standing; Lucario was down.

In exhaustion, Luke and Pikachu, the two brothers, embraced.

 _Pikachu…we…we did it…_

"Yeah. We beat Dad. I think…this means…"

 _We're true explorers._


	9. Chapter 9: SIRS

Suddenly, Lucario got to his feet, laughing heartily, with the kindness Luke and Pikachu had come to know and love. They turned to face him.

"And the pupils surpass the teacher!" Lucario cried out. "Your strategy was commendable, your power incredible, and your teamwork…it's unlike anything I've seen before and surely was how you two triumphed this day! Congratulations, boys! You are true explorers!" Before the boys could celebrate, Lucario yelled, "Hey, everyone, come on out!"

From the sky, from the bushes, from the trees, the Pokémon Luke and Pikachu had encountered on their adventures emerged: Munchlax, Togetic, Psyduck, Hippopotas, Porygon2, Heracross, and even Thundurus! The boys grinned ear to ear and greeted all of them; they reciprocated their greetings.

Still heartily laughing, Lucario said, "I suppose I owe you boys a more thorough explanation. I knew you boys needed to make your way in the world; the moment I saw the scarves 'round your necks, I knew what you boys wanted to be: explorers, like your old man! So I brought together my pals here and we carefully set up a training/testing program of sorts.

"Munchlax got lost in a place I directly told you not to go. Would your desire to do what you believed what was right overcome your fear of the rules? It did; your moral center won that day.

"Then came your first test of power; you boys took on Heracross deep within Honey Haven and earned that delicious honey!

"The test of power continued when you boys went deeper into the Dark Woods than before; I had Munchlax supervise and assist you to gauge your teamwork. Once again, a superb performance!

"Then you boys sought Psyduck in the Tidal Beach; could you help a Pokémon who would have trouble helping themselves out, truly? When Psyduck's headaches intensified, I executed this one. It was sheer misfortune that Psyduck ended up in a Monster House, but it was quite fortunate that Psyduck's hidden power came through.

"Hippopotas went for a cooling bath in the desert; I had to see how you boys would handle harsh weather, but, thinking on it more, that wasn't necessary! You're wearing Weather Bands! Either way, you boys earned your reward of the cooling sand bath."

Lucario's mood shifted, then he sighed. "Then came the Sacred Electric Lands; I wanted to test your mettle in a harsh environment like that, and figured it would be a good challenge to take on a legendary Pokémon, but I realized you boys might not be ready, so I tried to stop that. Unfortunately, I couldn't do so in time, because once combat begins, Thundurus can't control himself until he's defeated. Porygon2 fought Thundurus alone to prepare for your arrival and lost, and soon, you boys took on Thundurus with Porygon2 when they recovered.

"I was angry that I lost control of the situation. I went off on Porygon2 and had to punish you two for going against my warnings. That situation, I thought, was a mistake on my part. Yet, you boys, along with Porygon2, defeated Thundurus, quite the accomplishment!

"So I brought you through this dungeon, with everyone watching in the shadows, to test everything; strategy, power, and teamwork, and you passed with flying colors!"

Everyone yelled their agreement.

Looking around and beaming, Luke asked, _Dad, how did you get all of these Pokémon involved in this?_

"Excellent question, Luke!" Lucario replied. "Boys, we are the Secret Investigative Rescue Squad, SIRS for short!"

" _WHAT?!"_ the boys cried out in shock.

Unfazed, Lucario continued, "Everyone, introduce yourselves!"

The Pokémon each stepped out, spoke, and stepped back thusly:

"I am Munchlax, the latest recruit to the group! I maintain getting food and supplies for SIRS when they cannot!"

"I'm Togetic! I'm in charge of aerial operations, leading any expedition in the sky! I also carry out deliveries between distant agents!"

"Psyduck is my name! I'm head of aquatic operations! I also have odd powers I don't quite understand, so I'm always ruminating on various topics! If you have any questions about anything, I'm your guy! Psy-yi-yi-yi…"

"ALTERNATIVELY, I CAN ANALYZE MY DATABASE IF NEED BE. NAME: PORYGON2. ROLE IN SIRS: HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DATA ANALYSIS. FOR ANY CONTACT NECESSITIES AND INFORMATION ON DUNGEONS AND POKÉMON, MY DATABASE IS READY FOR INFORMATION RETRIEVAL."

"I am Hippopotas. I maintain ground operations, that is to say, underground. I am the seismological and archaeological expert of the group. Anything old or dirty? Let me take a look at it!"

"Ha-hah! I am Thundurus, legendary representative and an at-large agent. I mainly tend to roam the land like lightning, so I can carry out distant expeditions quickly and independently with my power! I'm also our ace in the hole when it comes to combat, because of my power and fighting spirit!"

"I'm our second-in-command, Heracross! When anyone else is struggling, I step in, oversee, and lend the power of my magnificent horn. That leaves our boss…"

"Lucario! Boys, I'm the founder and head of SIRS! I brought together the finest this land has to offer and I manage them in order to carry out rescues and investigative missions! Our goal is to keep peace in the Pokémon world, from the shadows! And now, Luke and Pikachu, you are the newest members of SIRS! That is, if everyone is in agreement…"

They spoke in the same order:

"Yep!"

"I think they've earned it!"

"That's nothing to get a headache over! Yeah!"

"ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT LUKE AND PIKACHU WOULD MAKE EXCELLENT MEMBERS OF SIRS."

"I agree entirely."

"Hey, if they can take ME on, they can take anything!"

"I promised that we could be allies. I don't regret that promise one bit. I say yes!"

"And I say yes, as well! Since we are all agreed, Luke, Pikachu…"

Simultaneously, they all yelled, "Welcome to SIRS!"

The boys' eyes welled up with tears at the immense support displayed in front of them.

"Thank you all so much for this," Pikachu said.

 _We promise not to disappoint you,_ Luke added.

Their tears vanished and the boys jumped around excitedly, cheering and celebrating. The agents of SIRS chuckled at the boys' enthusiasm.

"All right, boys," Lucario cut in. "Now you know I don't actually work as a lumberjack. While I can do the work of a lumberjack, as you've seen, I actually maintain my position as leader of SIRS. I assign missions for the agents and go on missions myself, then we gather together our information for further investigations and determine new necessary missions from there. Starting tomorrow, you boys will accompany me to my…I mean, our job." He took on a stern expression. "But we must be covert. The first S in SIRS stands for 'Secret' for a reason. We work undercover to avoid villainous eyes. Tomorrow, when we go to the base of operations for SIRS, you boys must take an oath of secrecy. After that, we will run down your duties as members of SIRS, and then you boys will take up a mission." He smiled that warm smile again. "But for now, let's go home. We've had a long day, and tomorrow's gonna be another big day." He turned to the other agents of SIRS. "Finish your daily duties, then you're dismissed."

"Yes sir!" they cried in unison, then left.

Luke, Pikachu, and Lucario headed home, had a hearty dinner and a calm evening around the fire, then went to bed early to prepare for the big day.

Lucario went to sleep fairly quickly, but Luke and Pikachu couldn't sleep; they were too excited.

 _Pikachu, we did it!_

"Luke, I never could have done it without you!"

 _I feel the same!_

"Let's at least try to get some sleep! Tomorrow's the big day!"

 _Yeah! Good night, Pikachu!_

"Good night, Luke!"

They went to sleep.

The next morning, Luke and Pikachu woke bright and early, right at the same time as Lucario.

"Good morning, boys," Lucario said. "It's off to the base of operations!"

The boys gathered their supplies and accompanied Lucario to Felicity Town's lumberjack facility, where, according to Lucario, the SIRS base of operations was hidden, an efficient disguise lining up with his cover, as well as that of the agents. The boys, too, would cover as lumberjacks.

When they got there, they were greeted by lumberjack Pokémon.

"Mornin', Lucario!"

"Morning, Machoke!" Lucario replied.

"Those your boys?" Machoke asked.

"Yep," Lucario replied. "They'll be working here from now on." He gave a wink.

"Ah, I see," Machoke said. "In that case, stick close to your dad, boys."

The boys followed Lucario through long, turning hallways in the facility.

"They're in on the secret, since it's here," Lucario whispered, referring to Machoke and the other lumberjacks. "They're friendlies, so we can trust them not to blab."

They reached a small, out-of-the-way supply closet.

Moving items out of the way, Lucario pulled the back shelf out a fair distance and walked behind it.

"Come on back here, boys," he said. A sliding sound accompanied his speech fading away.

Pikachu ventured behind the shelf. "Dad…" Pikachu said. "I don't see you. Whoa!" Pikachu's voice faded at that.

 _Pikachu!_ yelled Luke. He went back there and felt the ground disappear under his feet; the shelf covered a hole in the ground.

The hole was the start of a long slide; Luke slid for what felt like an eternity.

Finally, the slide came to an end, and Luke emerged onto a metal floor.


	10. Chapter 10: First Day as SIRS Agents

It was a large room, with a huge display screen on the far wall. There were large technological machines lining the walls Luke couldn't identify; some of them were powering the large display.

Beyond the technological machines, the only other thing in the room was a large, rectangular wooden table with enough wooden chairs to support all of the agents of SIRS; based on the size of the chairs, Luke could tell which chairs belonged to whom. One was at the head on the far side of the room, and all other chairs were on the large sides, spread out almost evenly, with the difference accounting for the larger agents. There were two small and new chairs, right next to the head; they obviously belonged to Luke and Pikachu. Luke smiled.

All of the agents of SIRS were there; Pikachu occupied one of the small chairs, and Lucario sat at the head of the table. Everyone ushered Luke to the vacant small chair. Luke happily obliged.

Lucario's face took on a grim expression.

"All right, boys," he said, talking to Luke and Pikachu. "As I said, as SIRS agents, you must take the oath of secrecy; with all of the other agents here as witnesses, you shall swear to me that you will never divulge any secrets of SIRS, locations, missions, or otherwise, and that, to the best of your ability, you will work in total secrecy from outsiders. Repeat after me."

Lucario recited parts of a complex oath; it involved a lot of words Luke didn't quite understand, but, along with Pikachu, he repeated what Lucario said. Knowing the gist of what it all meant, Luke meant in his heart of hearts everything he said. He could tell Pikachu did, too.

Luke and Pikachu finished repeating the oath Lucario taught them, and the rest of the agents applauded.

"Very good," Lucario said. "Since I and the rest of the agents trust your intent of oath…" The agents all nodded and applauded once more. "…you are officially SIRS agents. May you always stay true to the words you've said."

Luke and Pikachu smiled and nodded.

"Now," Lucario said. "Allow me to go over your duties as agents of SIRS. Everyone else here has their assigned duties and must maintain them; you recall each described their duties yesterday. Because of these duties, they are currently too busy for normal missions at the moment. Therefore, Luke and Pikachu, you will be in charge of rescue missions. This means that when we come to work, you will receive a rescue mission, as I have been assigning to you since you boys rescued Munchlax from the Dark Woods. But, boys, you must be careful; these are true missions now and not simply tests; the consequences of failing these missions are genuine. You must always be at your best on your missions. Are we clear, boys?"

"You bet!" Pikachu said.

 _Yes, sir!_ Luke said. _But…I'm curious, Dad. Why is everyone too busy for normal rescue missions?_

Lucario paused and sighed. "It's confidential. Boys, you aren't experienced enough for me to reveal some of SIRS's more secretive operations. I WILL tell you this much. We are conducting an investigation; it's a huge investigation that we have to divert all of our resources to. As such, we are a little short-handed on rescue missions, so your help in that area is highly necessary and appreciated. Continue working here for a while, gain some experience, then I may let you in on the investigation. Until then…maintain our rescue missions. Are we understood?"

Luke and Pikachu solemnly nodded.

"Great," Lucario said with a smile. "Patience. I like it. As for your current duties, I…haven't exactly gotten you a mission. You've been with me all morning. Therefore, boys, head to Felicity's bulletin board; it's near the lumberjack facility…for obvious reasons." He chuckled. "If someone has trouble, they put a post on the bulletin board. Find a post about someone in trouble in a Mystery Dungeon, then slip the post in here."

Lucario pulled two gadgets from under the table and slipped one to each of the boys. The gadgets each had a small screen and a slot in the top.

"This is a SIRS communications device and missions catalog," Lucario said. "We SIRS agents communicate via these gadgets and catalog our missions, either by writing them up on our gadgets, or slipping a bulletin board post into the slot on the top. You put the post in the slot, and the gadget will read the data. Once a post is analyzed or a mission is written up directly into the gadget, it will be submitted to me. I can approve it, and the mission will be catalogued in everyone's devices corresponding to you and/or anyone else you or I want on the mission, to show what you are currently doing for SIRS; if it's a paper post, it will be destroyed, as we will be satisfying the request; alternatively, I can reject the mission, in which case the post will come back out, to be returned to the board, and the gadget write-up will be deleted or returned for revision at my discretion. Other agents can request missions for you and vice versa, so you can accompany them or go it solo if they want to take the mission but are too busy, in which case you can approve or reject at your discretion; if you approve, it will go to me for approval. Well…that's about it in terms of gadget function. Guard it with your life."

"AS HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR SIRS, I DESIGNED THE GADGET," Porygon2 proudly proclaimed. "IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES WITH YOUR GADGETS OR WANT TO KNOW THE TECHNICALS, COME TALK TO ME. BECAUSE I AM ANALYTICAL IN FUNCTION RATHER THAN CREATIVE, THERE IS NO OFFICIAL NAME FOR THE GADGET; IT IS JUST THE SIRS COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE AND MISSIONS CATALOG, OR YOUR 'SIRS GADGET,' FOR SHORT."

Lucario nodded and smiled at Porygon2 doing his duty, and said, "Boys, you are excused from this meeting. There's a hidden elevator over there, next to our systems display." He gestured next to the display screen. "It will take you right outside, right to the bulletin board. You'll be able to get to Felicity's shops easily for supplies. Good luck, boys! Return here posthaste after completing a mission!"

" _YES SIR!"_ the boys said simultaneously before departing. The other agents shouted their support as the boys took the elevator out.

When the boys exited the elevator, they saw the back of the bulletin board Lucario was talking about. They turned around and saw that they were on the side of the lumberjack facility. In addition, they saw that the elevator was totally invisible to them now that they had left; it just looked like more wall and there were no buttons to activate it; it was a one-way elevator for an efficient exit to protect SIRS's secrets.

"You heard Dad," Pikachu said. "Let's pick a rescue mission from the bulletin board."

As they went around, some villagers and lumberjacks saw them and waved; the ruse that they were lumberjacks at the facility was incredibly effective, and it was great that the honest-working lumberjacks were keeping and protecting their secret.

Luke and Pikachu scanned the bulletin board, and they found a couple of missions in Felicity Forest; they would be incredibly simple, but they'd get to help a lot of Pokémon in trouble, and that felt good.

There were four posts for Felicity Forest missions in all. Luke put two in his gadget and Pikachu put two in his.

It took barely a few moments for all of them to be approved by Lucario.

A video message from the kind Lucario appeared on their gadget: "Simple but effective. I like it!"

The boys, after getting their supplies together in town, went to Felicity Forest.

The rescues all went off without a hitch, with plenty of gratitude from the affected Pokémon.

The duo returned to the base through the lumberjack facility, with the cooperation of the lumberjacks. All of the other SIRS agents had returned already and reported to Lucario, so the boys did the same on their successful missions.

"Excellent!" Lucario replied. "I'm sure those Pokémon appreciated your help. All in all, it has been a successful day for everyone. Agents, you are dismissed for the day!"

" _ **YES SIR!"**_ the agents enthusiastically responded, and they departed one by one so as not to attract attention.

"As the boss, I must be last to leave, so wait until I've finished my daily duties," Lucario told the boys. "It'll take about the time it takes for everyone else to leave anyway."

The agents each greeted the boys as the newest members, congratulated them on a great first day, and told them how eager they were to work with them regularly.

Heracross, as second-in-command, was last to leave before Lucario and the boys. When he left, Lucario had finished his duties, so he and the boys departed and went home.

At home, Lucario made a hearty meal for the three of them, and they talked and laughed around the fire before turning in for another great day in the morning.

As he lay in bed, drifting off to sleep, Luke considered how content he was. He had a wonderful family with Pikachu and Lucario, and now good friends in the other agents of SIRS.

…And yet, he had to wonder…it would be irresponsible not to…

 _Who am I? Why am I here in this world? What is it that I need to do here?_

…But he was so content, this didn't bother him much. Being in SIRS with Pikachu, with Lucario…it felt right. Maybe this was what Luke was supposed to be doing. At the very least, helping SIRS would help him figure things out.

But tonight, he was bushed. He yawned, turned over on his comfy bed, and went to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11: Shaymin's Crew

This type of day in SIRS, rain or shine, was the typical day for the boys and their adoptive father for weeks. Many Pokémon attributed their gratitude for their rescues to Luke and Pikachu, and SIRS's investigation seemed to make headway, though Luke and Pikachu never got the details on it.

This often dismayed Luke and Pikachu, but they would comfort each other about it, whether whispering to each other at home when they were in their beds or when heading off on a mission.

"Chin up, Luke," Pikachu would say. "We'll be included in that investigation soon; I bet we'll be the ones to crack it!"

Luke would nod and say, _Yeah. All in good time, I suppose. I just really want to help Dad._

He knew he would, and he smiled. Pikachu was always so positive and upbeat, and it was contagious; it was a far cry from what he used to be, according to others.

As it was, their adventures through Mystery Dungeons were interesting enough on their own.

Throughout their rescues, Luke and Pikachu occasionally took notice of Pokémon in Mystery Dungeons that shouldn't be in those particular ones: a dark blur raced in front of Luke and Pikachu at Tidal Beach that Pikachu was somehow able to identify as a Sneasel; the boys saw a Kirlia wading through the sands of the Desert's Dunes; and, though he never said anything to Pikachu, because it freaked him out so much, Luke ran into an agitated Riolu in the Dark Woods that attacked him and ran; it was just like him!

The boys decided to shrug these off for the time being, as sometimes, there were Pokémon that might appear on rare occasions in those dungeons. They'd say something if it became a problem.

Shortly after these incidents, on a seemingly typical day at the SIRS base, when the boys followed Lucario into the base, they met not just the normal SIRS agents, but four new Pokémon, as well.

This was addressed at the morning meeting.

"Everyone, we have four new agents joining SIRS today," Lucario announced. "They have passed the necessary tests and are prepared to take their oaths of secrecy. But before that, I'd like them to introduce themselves, for those that haven't met them." Lucario looked at Luke and Pikachu in particular, then turned to the new agents. "Introduce yourselves!"

A stout, gray Pokémon was the first to step forward to speak. "I am Donphan, he who rolls along the ground with incredible speed and the power of the earth! I protect the precious earth we stand on."

An imposing, dragon-like, furry Pokémon with strange ears and the ability to fly stepped forward and said, in a loud voice that made everyone clasp their ears, "Call me Noivern the Sonic Boom! I can monitor even the slightest sound from the air! I protect our sweet skies!"

A lovely Pokémon that seemed to glide on the air as if swimming said, in a soothing voice, "My name is Lumineon. I normally dwell in water, but can maneuver here on land as if I were swimming. As such, I protect the beauty of the seas. And now, our leader."

The leader was a tiny Pokémon. It looked like a green shrub covered in pink flowers, but seemed to contain enormous power. With a small voice, the Pokémon said, "I'm Shaymin. I am a Mythical Pokémon, and I am always seeking a perfect place overflowing with gratitude. My favorite flower is the Gracidea flower. Give me one and…I'll be so thankful! I protect the world's vegetation! Me and my friends here are a group of Pokémon that want to protect that which is the natural beauty of this world." Shaymin then walked over to Luke, pressed herself against Luke's leg, and laid on the ground, smiling and humming ever so adorably. Luke was overcome by the sweetness of this Pokémon.

"Now," Lucario said, not noticing Shaymin's behavior towards Luke. "These Pokémon protectors seem like competent warriors. We met during an investigative mission I carried out the other day. I ran them through the tests and they are ready to help SIRS in any way they can. I believe they will be incredibly beneficial to our investigation. Now, everyone, bear witness to their oath."

Shaymin rejoined her friends for the oath, and everyone approved their intent of oath, inducting them as members of SIRS.

"I have already briefed you four on your duties," Lucario said, indicating that these duties, pertaining to the investigation, were secret from the boys. "Why don't you take some time to get to know the other agents of SIRS?"

Shaymin immediately returned to snuggling against Luke's leg. Everyone noticed and chuckled at Shaymin's adorable behavior.

"Let me explain," Lumineon said. "As she said, Shaymin seeks out gratitude naturally; she is nourished by gratitude. For Shaymin to like you as much as she does…"

"…you've done so many good things for people," Shaymin said. "And they're all so thankful; I can feel their gratitude through your kindness."

 _Heh heh,_ Luke chuckled. _It's not just me. It would never have been possible without Pikachu, over across from me._ He pointed to his friend across the table.

"Yes…" Shaymin said. "I can feel it. The strong friendship you two have; Pikachu's gratitude to you for being his first true friend…your gratitude to Pikachu for helping you when you lost your memories."

 _Wow,_ Luke asked. _Shaymin can pick up on all that from just hugging me like this?_

"Shaymin IS a Mythical Pokémon," Donphan said. "She has awesome powers concerning stuff like this. She can tell who to trust."

"She is strongest and purest among us," Noivern loudly added. "This is why we answer to her."

Luke nodded. _I think…I think we're going to be good friends,_ he said to the group, particularly Shaymin; the group reciprocated their agreement.

And so they were; over time, Shaymin, Lumineon, Donphan, and Noivern proved to be great allies and good friends to SIRS, and they fit in very well.

Noivern was very loud and could be obnoxious. However, no one seemed to mind; it was clear he meant well. In addition, Noivern was remarkably observant, particularly with sounds due to his enormous ears. Even outside of sounds, his keen observations impressed everyone at SIRS; he seemed to know everything about everyone, even things they wouldn't normally say aloud. He could tell they were all trustworthy through this, and proved to be thus in return with their secrets.

Donphan was stoic and tough. He was happy to smile and laugh, but he never seemed to exhibit anger…or sadness. He was very level-headed and kept everyone's feet on the ground (unless they could fly; it was a joke SIRS liked to make, and Donphan would chuckle along). In Mystery Dungeons, according to Lumineon, attacks hardly seemed to faze him; he would just withstand them and barrel along, rolling as he could.

Lumineon was very dainty and gentle; she spoke in a proper tone of voice and encouraged others to do the same. She was no slouch in battle, though; Shaymin said Lumineon would take the lead if she was struggling; Donphan and Noivern were tough, but needed guidance in battle, which is where Lumineon would come in. Shaymin also credited Lumineon as her personal confidante; as everyone figured out, Lumineon was remarkably wise. Her proper tone and wisdom sometimes made her seem snobby, but everyone knew she had good intentions.

Shaymin, as everyone caught on, was remarkably sweet, particularly to those who were full of gratitude, their own and others. Due to this, thanks to their rescue missions and the resulting gratitude from those they rescued, Shaymin was particularly fond of Luke and Pikachu. She was clearly a leader to her crew, though, in strength and leadership skills, and everyone respected her.

Indeed, they fit into SIRS and made good friends with everyone, and Luke was happy to have more friends he could rely on.


	12. Chapter 12: A Gang in the Shadows

Life in SIRS was just as great as usual, especially with Shaymin and her crew around.

One day, however, Luke and Pikachu woke up, expecting another wonderful day, but as they prepared for the day, Lucario seemed in a grim mood.

On the way to the base, Luke asked, _Dad, what's wrong? Is everything okay?_

"No," Lucario replied. "Things aren't OK. Wait until the morning meeting, and I'll elaborate there."

The boys' stomachs sank, but they did as Lucario told them.

They accompanied their adoptive father to the base and took their places at the table for the morning meeting and awaited Lucario's news nervously.

Taking his seat, Lucario called the meeting to order and spoke.

"Everyone," Lucario said. "Shaymin's crew took on an investigation in Discovery Meadow and they haven't returned. They aren't answering their gadgets. I'm worried something might have happened to them."

A murmur arose among the agents of SIRS, of shock and fear. Pikachu looked just as horrified as everyone else.

"What if they were defeated and abducted?!" Pikachu cried out.

In Luke, however, after the initial shock came a rush of anger.

Picturing the sweet Shaymin and her loyal crew in danger, Luke screamed, _Who would do such a thing to those Pokémon?!_ He pounded the table and left a deep dent; he had accidentally used Brick Break. He kept breathing as Pikachu rushed over to him and patted him on the back to calm him down.

 _I'm sorry_ , Luke said. _I just can't stand the thought of them in danger. Dad…_ he paused, about to request a mission he didn't think Lucario would approve. _Pikachu and I are in charge of rescue missions. This is a prime rescue mission. Let us go to Discovery Meadow and find Shaymin and her crew, or at least clues as to where they might be_.

There was a long pause. Pikachu nodded his agreement, and the other agents did the same.

Lucario sighed and said, "Boys, Shaymin and her crew were carrying out an investigation for our primary investigation. But…it's gotten too big, and you boys have gained experience, so I'm going to let you boys in on what's going on very soon. But first, I approve your mission request; to ensure safety, Psyduck, Hippopotas, you two will accompany Luke and Pikachu. Your mission is either the rescue of Shaymin and her crew or clues as to their whereabouts. Please head straight out and do what you can. When you return with your report, I'll tell you boys about SIRS's investigation. Luke, Pikachu, Psyduck, Hippopotas…good luck."

The agents cried their loyalty and wished each other luck before the rescue mission group departed.

The group followed their maps to Discovery Meadow and made their way through the dungeon. There was no light discussion or laughs to be had; their friends were in trouble. Luckily, navigation of the dungeon was relatively easy; all of them were strong enough to stand up to the opponents they faced, and Psyduck could surf on the ponds and lakes they ran into while Hippopotas could burrow in the ground to facilitate finding the stairs.

They came by a rest point but didn't relax at all; after a quick supply renewal, they plowed through the rest of the dungeon.

Upon reaching the end, the group reached a pink flowery clearing with a small waterfall feeding a small reservoir of water. They looked around the clearing for any sign of Shaymin or her crew; there were none to be found.

"I can't find any sign of them," Hippopotas said.

"Where could they be?" Psyduck asked, clutching his head. "It's hurting my head trying to figure it out."

That's when Luke noticed something. _These flowers…all around the clearing…they look like the flowers on Shaymin's body._ Everyone started in surprise and voiced their agreement that Luke was right. _But…_ Luke continued. _That doesn't bring us any closer to figuring out where Shaymin and her crew might be._

"You won't find them here…" a masculine voice echoed from the trees around the clearing.

As the group gathered together in the center, looking around for the source of the voice, a female voice echoed, "Today's discovery is ours, not yours…"

A third voice said, "Surrender quietly, or we'll have no choice but to take you by force."

These voices…they sounded quite intimidating and threatening…they, no doubt, were behind Shaymin and company's disappearance.

Angrily, Luke cried out, _Come out here and show yourselves!_

"That one sounds quite troublesome," the third voice said, sounding cautious. "He's in the way of what we want. He and those others. Let's take them down."

Like a flash, a Sneasel appeared in front of the group. Next to the Sneasel, a Kirlia teleported into the clearing. Finally, seemingly out of the sky, a Riolu jumped in between them, pounding the ground as she landed.

Luke and Pikachu started.

"It…it…"

 _It's those Pokémon we keep running into in Mystery Dungeons!_

"What?!" Hippopotas interjected. "What are you talking about? You've seen these Pokémon before?"

"No time to explain," Pikachu said, indicating the trio of Pokémon preparing to attack.

 _We'll explain later,_ Luke said. _But first, let's see if we can get any more information out of these guys._

As the group formed an attack formation, Riolu, the third voice, said, "We WILL get what we're after. And nothing is going to stop us! Come on, guys!"

"Right!" Kirlia and Sneasel cried. The trio lunged at Luke, Pikachu, Psyduck, and Hippopotas, and the fight began.

Unfortunately, Psyduck, caught in one of his headaches, was easily dispatched by the swift Sneasel, who took him down before the poor Psyduck knew what hit him.

Hippopotas took on Kirlia. Hippopotas used all sorts of Rock and Ground attacks, trying to utilize the earth to her advantage. Kirlia deftly dodged those attacks and fired off several Psychic and Fairy attacks, which Hippopotas was able to dodge by digging into the ground. They were evenly matched.

Luke and Pikachu took on Riolu. The Riolu was just as skilled at hand-to-hand techniques as Luke was, and was able to deftly dodge their attacks, even with Luke and Pikachu working in tandem as they normally did. Unlike the others, they were able to land the occasional hit on Riolu, but Riolu was able to shake the hits off and retaliate. Riolu's brilliant strategy was to attack whoever seemed off guard while the other attacked.

Eventually, Riolu overpowered and knocked out Pikachu, leaving Luke, who was evenly matched with Riolu. However, at this point, Luke was incredibly weak. Despite his best efforts, Riolu knocked him out.

At the exact same time, Kirlia had successfully knocked out Hippopotas.

They had lost. SIRS, Luke, Pikachu…they had wiped out.

Before they could make their escape, Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel surrounded the group.

"Great job, guys," Riolu said to her companions.

"Now," Sneasel said; he was the first voice they'd heard. "You're coming with us."

 _No…no…_ Luke muttered, powerless. _Shaymin…Donphan…Lumineon…Noivern…I'm sorry…_

As he stopped speaking, he heard Psyduck muttering.

"Psy-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi…" Psyduck was saying. Luke braced himself; he knew what this meant.

"What the…?" Luke heard Riolu begin to say as the trio stumbled backward in confusion.

"…yi-yi-yi-yi…DUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKK!"

The explosion of energy from Psyduck's head blew back the trio of marauders, knocking out Riolu and Kirlia; Sneasel, despite being immune to Psychic-type moves, was blown back by the blast and slammed into a tree, being knocked out by the impact.

Thankfully, the energy didn't affect Luke, Pikachu, or Hippopotas.

The shock of what had happened allowed the group to regain their footing and head over to the defeated trio, who had scrambled together with the last bit of their energy.

 _Now,_ Luke said. _Where are Shaymin and the others?_

Ignoring Luke's question, Riolu said, "We're in no shape to keep searching now."

Sneasel nodded as Kirlia said, "Let's get out of here, guys."

As she said that, the defeated trio vanished instantly.

After Luke, Pikachu, Psyduck, and Hippopotas recovered from the shock of the trio's sudden disappearance, Hippopotas exclaimed, "Those cowards! They teleported away before we could get any information out of them!"

"Clearly, it was that Kirlia that teleported them all out of here," Psyduck said, clutching his head again. "Another clear thing is that those foes are no laughing matter. They wiped us out clean. But what did they want? And how did I…" He muttered to himself some more.

"What's clear to me is those…BANDITS…are responsible for the disappearance of Shaymin and her crew!" Pikachu cried out angrily. "We need to save them! We need to find those bandits and stop them!"

 _Pikachu's right!_ Luke said. _Let's get back to the base and report what happened to Dad! He'll know what to do!_

Everyone nodded in agreement as they began heading back to Felicity.


	13. Chapter 13: SIRS's Investigation

When everyone in SIRS came back to report on their missions, Luke, Pikachu, Psyduck, and Hippopotas reported their mission; the trio of bandits, what they said, wiping out, Psyduck's burst of energy, the trio's disappearance, and how, unfortunately, they had found no sign of Shaymin or her crew. Luke and Pikachu also explained how they had previously bumped into the individual bandits in different Mystery Dungeons.

All of the agents began murmuring in concern and shock, particularly about the bandits and their mysterious identities and motives. It gradually erupted into loud, panicked debates.

"Quiet!" Lucario cried, banging on the table and silencing the confusion. "I know this find may be a shocking and somewhat frightening revelation, but please calm down. The important thing is that despite finding nothing on our missing agents, the boys, our rescue agents, and two of our investigative agents have found an important clue pertaining to our investigation."

Luke and Pikachu looked around in confusion as everyone else nodded in agreement, pondering this clue.

 _Um, Dad?_ Luke asked. _What do you mean we found an important clue?_

Lucario paused and said, "Ah, yes. Boys, as I promised, it's time I told you about our investigation." He stood up, began pacing back and forth and said, "This may be a lot for you boys to take in, so be prepared. Ready?" When Luke and Pikachu nodded, Lucario continued, "Recently, there has been an abnormal rash of disastrous events occurring; when I say that, I mean it's been happening for a few years now. They've been happening more and more and getting worse and worse lately. They have involved Pokémon disappearances, weather events, and the like.

"It all started when Pokémon began disappearing from various places; we could never find them, no matter what dungeons we traversed. We were held back by seemingly coincidental events, such as raging storms far worse than even Thundurus could generate, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions…every time we'd get close, some disaster would impede our progress. It seemed more than a coincidence, so SIRS began investigating these events. The problem is, of course, these seemingly random events kept holding us back. It was as if the very earth had turned against us!

"To make matters worse, these events have been getting greater in magnitude. These weather events have been getting more devastating, and they've been happening even if we aren't investigating anything in the area! Worse than that, the Pokémon disappearances have been increasing in frequency and size; more incidents have occurred, and entire families, even tribes of Pokémon have vanished in additions to individuals!

"Pokémon have been hearing about these tragedies and are too scared to investigate, so SIRS has been investigating undercover, helping with rescue missions, trying to ease people's worries from the shadows…even though there are great concerns to worry about. Here in Felicity, no one talks about it, and everyone tries to avoid thinking about it; they want to maintain the peace, because they know they are powerless to stop whatever's happening. We in SIRS, however, don't believe that; we're trying to find out the source of these disasters and stop them from happening.

"But, as I've said, it's like the very earth has turned against us. It's more than just the earth…tears in the very fabric of reality have been occurring in many places; dimensions have been intertwining. Whatever is happening, it's enormous; it's encompassing more than this world, and whoever's responsible does not want us to figure out who they are.

"But I won't give up. None of us at SIRS will give up. We are going to save this world and any other affected by this travesty, even putting at stake our very lives. This is why I held back telling you about the investigation, boys; I don't want anything to happen to you. But now, I'm comfortable that you can maintain yourselves as well as the other SIRS agents in these situations, if not better; you boys have excellent teamwork, and though I would forever protect you two from this horror if I could, your help is no longer an option; it is necessary. We need all the help we can get if we're going to protect this world, while staying low and making sure a panic doesn't happen. Boys, can you handle this?"

Luke and Pikachu stared at each other silently, absorbing everything Lucario had told them. This was a situation that endangered their lives. But everything, everyone they cared about was at stake. They turned to Lucario, with serious expressions, and nodded.

Lucario nodded and said, "As it is, what happened today to you two, and Psyduck and Hippopotas, provides an important clue. Shaymin and her crew are the latest disappearances. As it is, we're trying to figure out connections between the disappearing Pokémon; what did they have in common? I thought I was on to something, but this disappearance changes everything.

"Besides that, Luke, you said that you were able to figure out that the flowers in the clearing at Discovery Meadow were just like those on Shaymin's body. But, just as you figured that out, Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel attacked you. It's just like what's happened whenever any of us came too close to figuring out something else; a natural disaster forced us to turn back. But there's a key difference in your case; you were attacked by Pokémon, not natural disasters."

"And those bandits said that they took away Shaymin and her crew!" Pikachu interrupted angrily. "They've got to be behind this!"

 _And…_ Luke said. _They said they were searching for something. They said we were in their way, and they were ready to capture us._

"Searching for something…" Lucario said. "Whatever the case may be, they must be close to a breakthrough; why else would they come out now? We have no reason to deny that they are behind Shaymin's disappearance, or that they are a part of whatever's causing these disasters; their attack happened just as you came close to discovering something. But, this I'm sure of…they can't be acting alone. They're strong and well-strategized, so they could easily abduct Pokémon; however, Riolu, Kirlia, Sneasel…as you can attest to, Luke, none of those Pokémon can cause disasters like we've seen, not even Kirlia's Psychic abilities. They may be working for a powerful force that doesn't want to dirty their hands or paws…or, worse, the powerful force could be working for them.

"There's no choice now. We need to divert our resources to finding out more about that trio of bandits, as well as any connections they might have, in addition to tracking down the lost Pokémon. Now that we have something solid to go on, we need to take advantage of it.

"Everyone, get some rest. Today has been a very eventful day, and our investigation has made a great leap forward. Tomorrow, we begin tracking down those bandits. You're all dismissed!"

"YES SIR!" everyone cried as they began their daily duties.

As Lucario worked on his daily duties, he motioned for Luke and Pikachu to lean in close; when they did so, he whispered, "I didn't want to say it in front of everyone else, but…one of the places where we've seen the distortions of reality, the intersection of worlds…is the pond in the clearing of Felicity Forest."

Luke and Pikachu gasped and started backward.

"The place where I found Luke…" Pikachu said.

 _Where I woke up, without any memory of anything…_ Luke continued. _Except…that I'm…_

"A human," Lucario said. "A human from a different world. This is how I can tell that this crisis spans beyond our own world. It spans into your world, too, Luke. That's why you're here. Somehow, you must have been caught in the dimensional distortion, and that's how you ended up in this world, without your memory…if only you hadn't lost your memory…" Lucario groaned. "We could crack this case wide open! That in and of itself is a mystery…was the distortion the cause of your memory loss?" He sighed and knelt to the boys' level, putting his paws on Luke's shoulders. "Luke…I really hope we can figure out more about you…where you came from, what happened to your memory. Not just for the sake of our investigation, but because I'm sure you must want to know. Because you must have family that really misses you, people who care about you…like I do. To that end, I'm going to figure out who you are, Luke. I'm going to help you get home to your family. And we're going to save this world. I promise."

Lucario leaned down and embraced Luke. Pikachu smiled and joined the embrace.

Luke embraced back; he began to think to himself, _Is that what I really want? I'm happy here, with Pikachu, and Dad, and SIRS. But…Dad's right. I must have a family in my world who misses me, needs me, and cares about me. I'll miss Pikachu and Dad when that time comes…but, for now, I'll just appreciate the time I'm sharing with them. And I'll do everything to help save this world and solve this mystery._ He told this to Pikachu and Lucario, and they smiled and continued to hug Luke.

Breaking the hug, Lucario said, "My daily duties are done, and Heracross is leaving. Let's go home, boys."

At that, Luke, Pikachu, and Lucario went home.


	14. Chapter 14: Tracking Down the Bandits

The next morning, Luke, Pikachu, and Lucario headed to the SIRS base as usual; at the morning meeting, Lucario briefed everyone on the investigation.

"Now that Luke and Pikachu know about the investigation and are a part of it, I'll talk about it more openly from now on," Lucario said. "After all, the crisis has become too great. Unfortunately, we still have no clues pertaining to the whereabouts of Shaymin, Lumineon, Donphan, or Noivern. However, we do know who are most likely responsible; the trio of bandits, Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel. In order to find our lost comrades and other Pokémon who have disappeared, we'll need to track down those bandits; hopefully we'll figure out more about the natural disasters that have held us back. That's why I've assigned you all on missions through dungeons that I believe might help us find clues about the bandits, with one exception. Hippopotas, you told me you had a hunch about one of the more recent disasters."

"Yes," Hippopotas said. "During a recent earthquake, I believe I felt that the epicenter was remarkably close, but it was too dangerous to follow closely, so I had to leave. However, I know where it was; I can feel it. It came from the Sacred Lands of Abundance."

"What?!" Thundurus cried out. "That's where Landorus's shrine is!"

Everyone began murmuring. Luke and Pikachu recalled who Landorus was from Lucario's scolding when they fought Thundurus.

"Then…" Pikachu said. "That must mean…"

"Landorus must be behind at least some of these natural disasters…" Lucario said.

Thundurus shrugged. "…I wouldn't put it past him," he said. "He'd probably think of it as some holy crusade to protect the land or something. You guys think _I_ can be haughty and hard to deal with sometimes…" He chuckled.

"I still need to confirm the location of the epicenter, so let's not jump to conclusions," Hippopotas said.

"She's right," Lucario said. "But it would be folly not to follow up on this theory as soon as possible. Someone needs to go to the Sacred Lands of Wind. Tornadus, the other legendary Pokémon related to Thundurus and Landorus, resides there. Thundurus has been preoccupied here at SIRS, but Tornadus might know something."

"I could go," Thundurus said. "I already know him quite well, and I can get him to cough up any information we need."

"NO," Lucario said sternly, causing everyone in SIRS to shrink back, even Thundurus. "I know you. At the first sight of each other, you and Tornadus would get into a fight which would be so destructive it would destroy everything! None of us would be able to stop you two, and the only one who could might be behind these incidents to begin with! We'd only be giving him what he might want! So…no, Thundurus. Stay out of this one. I have a different mission much farther away for you anyway."

Thundurus sighed and said, "Fine."

"Luke and I could go," Pikachu said.

"No," Lucario said. "It's too dangerous. Tornadus can be quite territorial when it comes to his lands, as Thundurus can attest to…" Thundurus nodded, and Lucario continued, "…so Tornadus will try to fight you. He won't be holding back, like Thundurus was…"

 _Thundurus was holding back when we fought him?_ Luke interrupted.

"Well…" Thundurus said. "About as much as I could when caught up in battle. Once Porygon2 and I fought the first time, I was really riled up, so…I wasn't holding back THAT much. But, trust me, if I was fighting at full power…" He chuckled a nervous laugh. "No wonder Lucario got mad when he lost control of that one." He shrunk back at a furious glare from Lucario for both that comment and the admission that he wasn't really holding back there. He continued, "Lucario, if I may speak on their behalf, even considering that Porygon2 was helping them, Luke and Pikachu are remarkably strong. They were able to beat ME at just a little less than my full power, and that was BEFORE they gained experience in SIRS. If Tornadus did decide to fight them, he'd be a piece of cake for them. Besides, if I know Tornadus, and he's a lot like me in several respects…he's a big softie when it comes to kids. They've got the best chance of getting anything from Tornadus."

Luke and Pikachu smiled at Thundurus for coming to their defense.

Lucario was silent for a while, then he said, "As brash as you can be…time and time again, you've proven why you're such a valuable member of SIRS, including now, Thundurus. But, still, I want to send some other members of SIRS with them. In light of your advice, Thundurus, those two will be our other younger members of SIRS. So, Luke, Pikachu, Munchlax, Togetic, your mission is to go to the Sacred Lands of Wind. Find Tornadus and see if you can get any information on Landorus's possible involvement in the recent natural disasters, and, if possible, information on the trio of bandits and the whereabouts of the missing Pokémon."

" _YES SIR!"_ the young agents said as they headed out.

The agents stocked up on a lot of food, as was necessary due to Munchlax's appetite. They headed to the Sacred Lands of Wind, but found that it was very rough there, particularly for poor Togetic.

"It's…so…windy…" Togetic said. "I'm having a hard time not being blown away by this wind. In addition, I can't scout in the skies like I normally do. This is gonna be a hard one." Her wings flapped slower and slower as the wind began to push her back. Munchlax grabbed her.

"Don't worry!" Munchlax cried. "I'm a heavy Pokémon, so I'll be less likely to lose my footing. Stay with me, Togetic!"

Togetic thanked Munchlax profusely as they, Luke, and Pikachu entered the dungeon.

They had trouble moving forward due to the intense wind but managed to push through, stand up to any Pokémon that stood in their way, and get to Tornadus's shrine without much issue.

Pikachu stepped forward and cried out, "Tornadus! Hey! Come on out! We need to ask you something!"

At that, a vicious cyclone appeared in front of the group before vanishing, revealing a green Pokémon remarkably similar in appearance to Thundurus; it was Tornadus.

"Hey!" Tornadus cried out. "What do you guys want?! Invading my land and summoning me so rudely at my shrine! The nerve of you little brats! What do you want?!"

Tornadus was remarkably irritable; his personality was quite a far cry from what Thundurus had said he would be like.

"Thank you for coming, sir," Togetic said as politely as possible as Munchlax clung onto her for her dear life. "If you could calm this wind for a moment, we're friends with your counterpart, Thundurus, and we think you might know something about…"

"Thundurus?!" Tornadus interrupted. "So HE'S the one that's been sending you little brats to disturb my peace! You got a problem with my wind?! I'll deal with you now and deal with Thundurus next!"

 _BEEN dealing with?_ Luke muttered to his companions. _So others like us have been bugging him? Like the bandits?_ The others nodded in agreement. _Before we ask him, we need to stop him. If not, he and Thundurus will go at it and destroy everything!_

Tornadus screamed with rage and barreled at the group of young agents, beginning the battle.

Pikachu stepped in and fired off a Thunderbolt, dealing heavy damage to Tornadus.

Togetic flapped harder and harder and soared high (an impressive feat, considering Munchlax's weight) before flinging Munchlax, who was still holding on, toward Tornadus. He used Body Slam to fling Tornadus into the shrine. Togetic, to prevent herself from being blown away, was able to follow up with a Brave Bird, dealing more damage to Tornadus; the recoil caused her to fly backwards, but Munchlax caught her.

Tornadus tried to get up and fight back, but Luke was able to finish him off with a deft Quick Attack.

The winds stopped as Tornadus groaned, collapsed on the ground.

The four, amazed that they had defeated a legendary Pokémon so easily, shook past the shock of that quickly and surrounded the collapsed Tornadus.

 _Now,_ said Luke. _If you'll permit us to explain, we're friends with Thundurus. We're all trying to figure out whether you know something about the recent flurry of earthquakes and other disasters, and whether Landorus may be involved._

Tornadus roused himself and floated back up. "Ugh," he said. "Wow. You kids are strong. Then again, you'd HAVE to be in order to be on good terms with Thundurus. Great job holding me back. Sorry about that. You aren't the first ones to come by lately."

"We aren't?" Munchlax asked.

"No," Tornadus replied. "There was this other group of Pokémon, kinda like you. They fought me, and they were really strong. But they weren't trying to knock me out."

 _That's strange,_ Luke said. However, he immediately realized why. _Perhaps they were intentionally causing you to stir up a wind storm by pestering you._

Tornadus sighed with shame. "I suppose you're right. I can get kind of hot-headed, just like Thundurus."

Pikachu chuckled. "You got that right."

"Anyway," Tornadus said. "They seemed like a shady bunch of criminals. They seemed to possess their own false sense of justice. Maybe they believed it, maybe they didn't."

"Sounds just like that group of bandits," Pikachu said, as everyone else nodded. "Maybe it's because they're riling up legendary Pokémon like you that all of these natural disasters are occurring."

"I would think so," Tornadus said. "Beyond that, I can't help you too much, I'm sorry to say. I have no idea whether or not Landorus is involved with these criminals, but I can tell you one thing about those thugs that attacked me; they aren't just common criminals out to cause some trouble. They're dangerous. They're full of…hate. So much hate…"

"…What makes you say that?" Togetic hesitantly asked.

"They kept talking about how they were going to cleanse the world…" Tornadus said. "They kept saying 'eliminate the unnatural.' They said that's what they were going to do. It was like their mantra or something. By 'unnatural,' I have a bad feeling they aren't just talking about technology or anything. Based on the amount of disappearances lately…" He shuddered. "Based on how strong they are, they can do whatever they're setting out to do."

There was a long silence. This terrifying revelation stilled everyone to silence.

"I hope I could have been of some help," Tornadus said very seriously. "I'm sorry I caused you trouble. And, if ever I can be of any more help, don't hesitate to ask." He began to fly away. "Goodbye." At that, he flew off and vanished into a cloud.

Deathly silent, without a word, the group headed back to the SIRS base.


	15. Chapter 15: Tensions and Fears

As Luke, Pikachu, Munchlax, and Togetic gave their report, the base went silent.

The revelation that these villains were so hateful and were after such an awful goal was such that the agents could hardly wrap their minds around it.

Lucario finally broke the silence: "As horrible as it is, we finally have a motive to attach to these villains. 'Eliminate the unnaturals,' as they say." He seemed ready to vomit with disgust at that phrase. "They want to somehow get rid of Pokémon that they deem…un-natural, and they're causing disasters to stop anyone from getting in their way by provoking legendary Pokémon."

 _But…what do they mean by…un-natural Pokémon?_ Luke nervously asked.

Lucario sighed. "As it goes…" he began. "Exactly what I had predicted before Shaymin and her crew vanished." The agents gasped. Lucario raised his paw and continued, "The Pokémon that had been disappearing were Pokémon that were, in some way, artificial, or had some strange mutations or other abnormalities about them compared to other Pokémon."

Everyone looked with great concern at Porygon2, who began shifting uneasily in his seat.

"But," Lucario said. "I thought I had been proven wrong when Shaymin and her crew disappeared. In no way do they fit the descriptions I described, quite the opposite; they claimed to represent nature as a whole."

"So…" Togetic ventured. "Why would they vanish, then?"

"ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT, OBVIOUSLY, THE TERM 'UNNATURALS' APPLIES TO MORE THAN JUST ARTIFICIAL OR ABNORMAL POKÉMON," Porygon2 stated. "I THEORIZE THAT IT MAY NOW APPLY TO POKÉMON WHO ARE ATTEMPTING TO DEFY THE CRIMINALS."

"So," Psyduck stated, clutching his head. "All of us are in danger…"

Uneasily, the agents sank into their chairs.

"Does this mean…" Munchlax nervously asked. "…the end of SIRS?"

"Don't talk like that!" Heracross cried out, pounding the table. "SIRS has stood strong and proud for years. We are NOT going to cower simply because a great threat has begun to target us! What this means is that we are going to redouble our efforts to stop these criminals because they dared to threaten us! We are SIRS!"

The agents, encouraged by their second-in-command, broke into applause. Even Lucario joined in. Then he raised his paws.

"Heracross is right," Lucario said. "We knew that this investigation would threaten our lives. And we're all prepared to lay down our lives for this if necessary, are we agreed?" The agents slowly nodded, and Lucario continued, "As much as I despise the thought of losing any of you, we need to stand strong, but remain extra vigilant in doing so. Porygon2, I'm sorry to say, that goes double for you. You too, Thundurus; you don't want to be aggravated into a vicious battle state or cause a nasty storm like Tornadus was about to." They both nodded. "But know this; we must be onto something if those criminals have turned more of their threats on us. Unfortunately, it also means we are in danger of being exposed as a secret organization…in fact, they may somehow know already." Everyone was clearly wondering how or why this could be to themselves; one possibility was that there was a mole or traitor in SIRS, but no one would ever suggest that; they all trusted each other too much. "So, I reiterate, vigilance. I'll try to figure out how this may be." He sighed. "If the word 'eliminate' in that awful mantra means what I think it does, we may have to assume the worst and delay, or worse, abandon our search of the missing Pokémon. Our goal now is to apprehend those bandits, those hateful criminals, and bring them to justice. Tomorrow, your missions will be adjusted accordingly. In the meantime, you're dismissed."

" _YES SIR,"_ everyone said, with heart but not with excitement; things had gotten too serious. At that, everyone finished up their daily duties and went home.

The next morning, at the morning meeting, Lucario said, "Today, the only ones going on a mission are Hippopotas, Psyduck, Heracross, and myself. Hippopotas has confirmed that Landorus is the cause of those recent earthquakes. He's even stronger than Thundurus or Tornadus, so we're sending the leader…" He indicated himself and everyone else as he spoke, "…our second-in-command, our local seismologist, and our water specialist. We need to assuage Landorus's anger. In light of yesterday's discoveries, I want everyone else, that is, Porygon2, Thundurus, Togetic, Munchlax, Luke, and Pikachu, our younger agents and those endangered by these criminals' goals, to watch the base and stay safe today. Luke, Pikachu…why don't you just learn some more about SIRS's history today?" He forced a smile to them, but it was clear to everyone; Lucario was incredibly worried about everyone, more so than usual today. He wanted to keep as many Pokémon as safe as possible and risk as few as possible. So everyone nodded their loyalty and agreement. "As for who I've called, let's go," he said. "We need to get to the Sacred Lands of Abundance as soon as possible." Without another word, he, Heracross, Hippopotas, and Psyduck left.

Everyone else sat in tense silence at the table, not moving for a long while.

Finally, to break the tension, Togetic said, "So…Luke, Pikachu, Lucario said you two should learn more about SIRS's history, huh? I…think Porygon2 and Thundurus know more about that than Munchlax or myself…"

"Yeah, I can tell you about it," Thundurus said. "After all, I am one of the three original members."

"Really?" Pikachu asked.

"Yeah," Thundurus replied. "Before I can really elaborate on that, the first thing you boys ought to know is that…your father…and our second-in-command…they share a really good friendship. They're exploration partners, kind of like you two, Luke and Pikachu."

 _Wow…_ Luke said. _Dad and Heracross…friends just like me and Pikachu._

"The reason you don't see it is that they don't want to exhibit preferential behavior toward each other in SIRS," Thundurus continued. "As you can see, they strive for fairness within the organization." Everyone nodded. "Now that you two understand that…while I don't know how they met, I can tell you how I met them. You see, for some reason or another…maybe they were testing their strength, like you two did, I don't know…they came and challenged me in the Sacred Electric Lands."

" _WHAT?"_ Luke and Pikachu asked in shock.

"Yeah, they came and challenged me on my own turf," Thundurus said. "Well, you know me, I can't turn down a challenge. I thought that the win was already guaranteed in my favor. And yet…their strategy, their teamwork…yours kind of reminded me of it, as a matter of fact…it was an amazing fight, but they knocked me down for the count." He laughed at the memory. "Well, I was so mad at first that I had been defeated, but now I know it was inevitable. Lucario and Heracross…they're the strongest non-legendary Pokémon I know."

"But…" Pikachu said. "…then…we…"

"No," Thundurus said. "They were holding back, more than I was at least. I think not so much for Lucario; he WAS holding back, but you guys pushed him to his limit, and in the heat of combat…either way, they weren't fighting as a team, but if they WERE…" He chuckled. "Anyway, as I was saying, they beat me. I was a good sport, and told them I respected their strength and told them that I would be of help to them if they asked. That's when they told me they were forming an organization to investigate mysteries, rescue Pokémon, and the like; why, I don't know. They said that the help of a powerful legendary Pokémon like myself would get it off the ground. Now, after that fight, and that compliment, I couldn't say no.

"Lucario had been working as a lumberjack, so we built this base under the lumberjack facility, as you know. He trusted the other lumberjacks with his life, so he let them in on it; admiring the idea, they let him do it and vowed to protect his secret.

"We carried out a lot of rescues, investigated all sorts of mysteries, and apprehended all sorts of criminals. We were unstoppable. In time, we brought on more agents as Lucario realized we needed specialists in different areas, like Psyduck for water missions and Hippopotas for ground missions."

"I WAS BROUGHT ON TO ORGANIZE AND ANALYZE DATA FROM THE VARIOUS INVESTIGATIONS AND RESCUES TO ENSURE THE EFFICIENCY OF SIRS'S OPERATIONS," Porygon2 said.

"Then they brought me on to take care of aerial operations," Togetic said. "Then, one day, all of our food started disappearing…it turned out that it was my friend, Munchlax, stealing the food."

"They tried taking it from me, and I couldn't help it," Munchlax said. "I started attacking them. It took several agents to keep me down and take the food. I apologized…but they seemed more impressed by my strength. Togetic put in a good word for me, and they brought me on as the food manager. I can't thank Togetic enough; it's helped me hone my strength and practice not giving in to my hunger all the time…"

Togetic chuckled, and everyone else joined in. Learning more about SIRS really had lightened the mood.

Porygon2, after a moment, admitted, "I'M SCARED. AS A COMPUTER PROGRAM, I KNOW I SHOULDN'T EVEN BE ABLE TO FEEL FEAR, BUT I'M AFRAID THOSE CRIMINALS WILL COME FOR ME SOON…I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHY. IT'S THE ONE THING I CAN'T EXTRAPOLATE FROM MY DATA…WHY?"

Luke ran over to Porygon2's side and patted him on the back, _I know you're scared, Porygon2. So am I. For me, for you, for everyone. And I couldn't tell you the why of it for the life of me; I want to know, too._ As everyone gathered around to console each other's fears, Luke continued, _But we're all here, and we're going to protect each other. It's going to be OK. I'm going to make sure of that._

Everyone else stated their agreement.

Shortly after that, some figures came down the slide into the base.

It was Lucario, Heracross, Hippopotas, and Psyduck. They were injured, heaving for air, and sighing.

Luke, Pikachu, and the other agents rushed over to them.

"What happened?!" Pikachu cried.

"We…we couldn't beat Landorus," Lucario said. "We wiped out."


	16. Chapter 16: Fight Against Landorus

Luke, Pikachu, Thundurus, Porygon2, Munchlax, and Togetic cleared the table and carried their injured friends, who were groaning in pain, onto the table.

 _What happened?_ Luke asked.

"L-Landorus…" Lucario said. "He was stronger than we thought…"

"He…took all of our attacks like it was nothing," Heracross said.

"Then, one by one…" Psyduck said.

"He knocked us all out," Hippopotas said. "We barely escaped, by the skin of our teeth and beaks."

"But he needs to be stopped…" Pikachu said. "Or his earthquakes will keep ravaging the land."

 _Then there's only one thing to do…_ Luke said, looking at his companions still standing. _We need to stop Landorus ourselves._

"What?!" Lucario cried out weakly. "N-no…he's too strong… you need to s-stay safe…"

"WHAT CHOICE DO WE HAVE?" Porygon2 asked. "UNCHECKED, LANDORUS'S RAGE COULD DESTROY EVERYTHING. WE NEED TO AT LEAST TRY."

"I'm with Luke on this one," Togetic said.

"Me too," Munchlax said.

"And me," Pikachu said. "We're up to five, meaning greater numbers to fight him."

"They're going to need legendary levels of help on this, and I agree with them," Thundurus said. "Landorus, though he views himself as superior to Tornadus and myself, is just like us; he won't stop unless he's stopped."

After a long pause, Lucario, with resignation in his voice, said, "You're right. Either way, there's nothing I can do to stop you. Just…please be careful, and understand that he's very strong."

… _We will,_ Luke said. _Come on guys, let's go._

With that, the group of agents headed off to the Sacred Lands of Abundance.

It was a beautiful dungeon, but it was full of tough Pokémon; nevertheless, they weren't too hard to deal with, since all of the agents were strong and one of them was a legendary Pokémon.

It was when they reached the rest point that they encountered an issue.

As they paused to regain their strength, an awful and familiar voice echoed, "You all have gone far enough."

Luke gasped and whispered, _Riolu…_

"No…" Pikachu said. "It's them! Everyone, brace yourselves!"

Then it hit Luke. _Thundurus, get out of here!_

"What?!" he cried.

 _They probably know you're here with us and want to provoke you into causing a disastrous storm! Go, now! We'll hold them back!_

Hesitantly, Thundurus said, "OK. I think you can do this. Good luck!" With that, Thundurus flew away.

At that moment, Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel appeared in front of the remaining agents, forming an attack formation.

"Well, well, well," Sneasel said. "It's a shame you sent your strongest party member away. That makes it all the easier for us to stop you right here and now."

Obviously remarkably afraid for his life, knowing he was the one most in peril, Porygon2 cried, "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! WHY?!"

"Why should we tell you anything?" Kirlia responded. "You'd never listen! You'd never understand!"

"You're right!" Togetic said. "We can't understand why you're doing any of this! That's why we have to stop you!"

"Fine, then," Riolu said. "We'll take you down here, then we'll capture you."

The fury in Luke's heart burned. _JUST…TRY._

Both groups lunged toward each other.

This time, however, things were a little more fortunate for SIRS.

Munchlax and Togetic were able to double team Sneasel, overcome his speed with power, and send him to the ground.

Porygon2 easily dodged all of Kirlia's attacks and swiftly countered with powerful attacks that sent Kirlia down.

Luke and Pikachu were able to learn from their previous mistakes and overcame Riolu's strategy; they were able to defeat her.

"Ugh…" Kirlia muttered. "How are we going to be able to deal with them now?"

"We can't…" Riolu said. "Let's go…"

At that, the trio of bandits vanished before anyone could react.

 _Ugh,_ Luke said. _That was a nasty distraction. At least we were able to stop them from provoking Thundurus, but at the cost of having him in the dungeon with us._

"That can't matter now," Pikachu said. "We need to keep moving so we can stop Landorus. Let's resupply and get to his shrine."

That's just what the group did; despite not having Thundurus with them, they were strong enough to barrel through the rest of the dungeon. However, upon getting to Landorus's shrine, before anyone could react, there was a vicious earthquake that knocked everyone down to the ground.

With a rumbling roar, a brown Pokémon that looked like Tornadus and Thundurus soared in front of the agents and set off another earthquake, howling in the process.

"Dare you to desecrate my pure land of abundance as others before you have?!" Landorus roared.

 _No!_ Luke cried out. _You're causing earthquakes, and you need to stop, now!_

"How dare you speak to me like that?!" Landorus cried. "You foul desecrators are unworthy to walk on this land, and shall be punished! Rrrahhh!"

The agents fought back with all of their might, but Landorus barely flinched at any of their attacks. In retaliation, he launched powerful ground and air attacks that they had trouble withstanding. Sadly, it was clear that Landorus would win.

"Heh," Landorus said. "Struggling a bit there, huh? This defeat will be oh so satisfying." However, as he prepared another Earthquake attack to finish off the agents, a clap of lightning in front of him knocked him back and a powerful gust of wind blew Landorus backward into his shrine.

"Double Storm Attack! Yahhhhh!" two familiar voices cried. Thundurus and Tornadus had flown in to save the agents!

As Landorus recovered from the attack, he asked, in shock, "You two?! You aren't fighting?! How is that even possible?"

"Let's just say…after I left the agents in the middle of the dungeon, Tornadus and I…worked out our differences," Thundurus said.

"After all, what's going on right now is too drastic to ignore," Tornadus added. "Landorus, you of all Pokémon should know that!"

"…So you would take the side of those who would desecrate my land?" Landorus asked. "…So be it. I'll handle you two as well, as I did in the old days!"

The battle resumed, and the sudden appearance of Thundurus and Tornadus renewed the will of Luke, Pikachu, Munchlax, Togetic, and Porygon2 to fight. Landorus put up a good fight, but with the extra stormy attacks of the legendary Pokémon, Landorus soon fell.

All were exhausted, but victorious. "We…did it," Munchlax said.

Tornadus began to soar away. "Well…I kept good to my word," he said, chuckling. "I'll see you guys around, soon. If you need any more help, you know where to find me." He flew out of sight.

Thundurus went over to Landorus. "Hey," he asked. "Are you all right? Come on, get up."

Landorus roused himself and got up into the air, laughing. "Wow!" he said. "That's the first time in a while I've had a decent fight! You guys are strong! Since you beat me, I'll tell you this much." His laughing became more sinister. "I wasn't attacking out of provocation. No, no, those earthquakes were deliberate."

" _WHAT?!"_ everyone cried.

"Yep," Landorus continued. "One more thing before I go: this is a trap. Yep. See ya later."

Everyone cried out in shock as he soared away; before anyone could react, a flurry of attacks of all sorts of elements blindsided the exhausted agents, knocking them all out, even Thundurus.

As they came to, several figures stood over the agents, sneering. To his horror, Luke realized who they were: Shaymin, Lumineon, Donphan, and Noivern. The latter three were holding Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel, bound and gagged. They were struggling against their bonds, their screams muffled by them.

Shaymin laughed and her crew joined her. Then she stated, "They…they actually fell for it! They thought we were actually going to help them! They thought these three we captured were pestering legendary Pokémon into causing natural disasters just because we bugged Tornadus for a bit!"

"You?!" Togetic cried.

"And look at this; they STILL can't believe it!" Shaymin laughed. "You know, we thought SIRS was actually an intelligent organization that might be a threat to our plans, but you were so stupid we could play you like Grass Whistles and make you fall for this trap!"

 _No…_ Luke muttered. _Shaymin…I trusted you…saw you as a friend…but…the whole time…the whole time, you and your gang have been playing us for saps. The whole time, you've been working with Landorus to cause disasters and abduct Pokémon and pin it on some scapegoats…why? Just…why?_ He had to ask; even if he didn't get an answer, the words sounded so strange in his ears.

"Guys, guys!" Shaymin laughed. "Someone in SIRS finally gets it! Let's give them a big round of applause!"

"But, Shaymin," Lumineon interrupted. "We have places to go, don't we?"

Shaymin chuckled. "Oh, yeah, I forgot. Come on, let's do what we came here to do and go." She ran over and snatched the weakened Pikachu onto her back.

"What…what?!" Pikachu cried out in shock. "Luke, help!"

 _Pikachu!_ Luke cried out. _I'll save you…_ And yet, he couldn't; he was so weak he couldn't help his best friend; tears streamed from his eyes at the hopeless situation.

"Now…" Donphan said. "As for the rest of you…" He was cut off by a cyclone appearing between Shaymin's gang and the agents.

From the cyclone, a familiar voice rang, "What?! Did you really think I'd left?" Tornadus had arrived! "I'll hold them back! Get out of here!"

 _But…_ Luke muttered. _Pikachu…_

"I'm sorry!" Thundurus cried. "There's no time! Let's go!"

Hesitantly and with great sadness, the agents of SIRS fled as Tornadus held back Shaymin and her gang.


	17. Chapter 17: A Shocking Revelation

Despite all of the agents being exhausted from their battles in the Sacred Lands of Abundance, everyone started into a panic at the discovery of the true criminals and Pikachu's kidnapping.

Sobbing, Luke said, _Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave him…we couldn't fight back…I'm sorry…_

Lucario immediately embraced his adopted son, tears in his eyes as well, and said, "No. No. It's not your fault. It's not your fault."

 _Dad…_ Luke said. _We have to save him!_

"Yes, we do, son," Lucario replied. "Yes, we do. And we will…I promise." Managing to compose himself, he gathered the agents for an emergency meeting. "In a horrendous turn of events, it turns out that the true criminals were sworn agents of SIRS, who likely infiltrated our ranks to track our movements, possibly using their SIRS gadgets, and use their intelligence on SIRS and scapegoats in Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel to lead us on a wild Zangoose chase into an intricate trap to capture as many SIRS agents as possible. It was quite fortunate that Tornadus was able to intervene, and that he and Thundurus could overcome their rivalry. Because of this, most of us got away. Unfortunately, one of our rescue agents, Pikachu, was captured. Our current primary goal is the pursuit of Shaymin's gang and the rescue of Pikachu and any other abducted Pokémon we can find."

"But where are we going to find Shaymin?" Heracross pondered.

"I haven't the foggiest," Lucario said with a resigned tone of voice.

At that moment, everyone's SIRS gadgets rang. Each pulled them out. They all had a message from Pikachu's gadget.

"I'll get it on the large screen!" Lucario cried, pulling up the message there.

Shaymin appeared in the frame, to everyone's startled surprise.

"Hi, SIRS agents," Shaymin said in a mocking tone. "I bet you're wondering where Pikachu is…well…here he is!"

Noivern carried a bound and gagged Pikachu into the frame. Pikachu struggled against his bonds, and his cries for help were muffled. As the SIRS agents began to cry out in worry and anger, Noivern dragged Pikachu out of the frame.

"Want him back? I bet you do," Shaymin taunted. "Well…perhaps, we can…work something out." She sneered. "Lucario and Luke, Pikachu's beloved family, I'm talking to you now. If you want Pikachu back, come here to the pond in Felicity Forest's clearing. Shouldn't be too hard for seasoned explorers like you. Oh yeah, and _make sure you come alone._ If not…I can't guarantee Pikachu's safety." Pikachu's screams rang into the message. "Think about my offer. See you later!" The message ended there.

Everyone in SIRS looked at each other uncomfortably. Then Luke broke the silence.

 _It's obviously a trap,_ Luke said. _But if there's any chance, any chance at all we can save Pikachu or stop those criminals…we have to take it._

Lucario sighed. "You're right, Luke. You're absolutely right." He weakly got to his feet, as did Luke.

"Lucario!" Heracross cried out. "Are you sure you and Luke are okay to go? As Luke said, it's likely a trap, and look how that turned out last time."

"I don't care!" Lucario cried out, pounding the table. "One of my sons is in trouble, and my other son wants to help him, and so do I!" Lucario was no longer thinking rationally; one of his loved ones was in danger, and because of the traitors, his beloved organization was falling apart from the inside out. "Luke, come with me! The rest of you, stay put and watch the base! If Luke and I aren't back before too long, then you can help! Let's go, Luke!"

The agents gave a hesitant _"Yes, sir"_ as they obeyed their orders.

As much as Luke was concerned about his father, he wanted to save Pikachu, so he accompanied his father. On the way to Felicity Forest, thoughts raced through Luke's mind, though he stayed silent. _Is Pikachu alright? Is SIRS going to be OK? Why are Shaymin and her gang doing this? And…who are Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel? What are they after? Why did Shaymin peg them as scapegoats and then capture them?_

"We're here," Lucario said, breaking Luke's train of thought; they had gotten through the dungeon easily. "Are you ready?" Luke nodded. "Good. Let's go."

They entered the clearing.

Inside the clearing, Shaymin and her gang stood in front of Luke and Lucario. Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel were laying, tied up, next to the pond. But Pikachu was nowhere to be seen.

"Alright, you thugs!" Lucario cried. "Where's Pikachu? What do you want from us?!"

Shaymin sneered. "Fight us. Defeat us."

"Alright, fine!" Lucario snapped. "We'll take you down here and now!"

 _Let's end this,_ Luke added.

"Oh, no," Shaymin replied. "You won't be fighting just us. You'll be fighting us and our boss."

 _Boss?_ Luke thought. _Who do these criminals answer to?_ His stomach sank at the thought.

"Hey, boss!" Shaymin cried out. "It's time for us to teach these guys a lesson! Come on out here and give us a hand!"

The bushes behind Shaymin's gang rustled as they stood aside to make way for their boss.

Then, as Shaymin and her gang backed away in respect, he emerged.

"NO!" Lucario cried.

Luke recoiled in shock and terror. _But…how…why?_

The boss was Pikachu.

"Hey, Dad, hello, brother." He emphasized his references to Lucario and Luke, respectively, smirking. This wasn't the kind, sweet, loving Pikachu they had come to know. The look in his eyes said it all; he was a dangerous, hateful menace, and he wasn't going to hide that anymore. "I suppose I have some…EXPLAINING to do, huh?" He laughed cruelly.

Lucario, distraught, fell to his knees. The son he had adopted, loved, cared for, raised…was a manipulative liar who had played him for a fool. "No…no…"

"So you won't fight, then…DAD?" Pikachu inquired tauntingly.

"No…" Lucario said. "No…I can't fight you."

"Then, Shaymin, crew…" He snapped his fingers. "Nab him."

Lucario instinctively grabbed Luke, still frozen in shock and horror, and turned around. "Come on! We have to get out of here! We have to warn everyone!"

"No, I don't think so," Pikachu said. "Oh, Groudon, a little assistance, please?"

"GROUDON?!" Lucario cried out, screeching to a halt. Immediately, in front of the exit to ensure they couldn't escape, an enormous, red Pokémon that seemed to be the essence of the land itself burst out of the ground; with one claw swipe, the enormously powerful Pokémon knocked Luke and Lucario in front of Pikachu.

Immediately, Shaymin's gang bound and gagged Lucario and threw him over with Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel. Pointing to Luke, Shaymin asked, "You want us to tie him up, too?"

"No, not yet," Pikachu said. "I want to savor this one…my friend…my partner…my brother…fight me. I want this win to actually count for something."

Finally shaking off the shock of the situation, letting it sink in that Pikachu was behind everything, he said, _No. I'm not going to fight you, Pikachu._

"Come on!" Pikachu cried. "It'll be fun! Why can't this ever be fun? Come on, I'll throw the first attack, and you strike back, OK?" He shocked Luke with a Thunderbolt, which knocked Luke down.

Luke climbed back up and said, _No._

Hitting Luke with an Iron Tail, Pikachu asked, "Why not?"

 _Because…I still see you as my friend..._

Hitting him once more, Pikachu said, "No, you don't."

… _my partner…_

"I'm the one responsible for the abductions and disasters!"

… _my brother…._

"You're just afraid you're going to lose!"

… _and I still believe in you…_

At this point, Pikachu was becoming aggravated and his attacks were fiercer. Luke took all of his attacks, never fighting back, and became more and more injured; he was barely conscious. Lucario was screaming through his bonds, yelling for Pikachu to stop.

Finally, Pikachu just gave up trying to fight as Luke drifted on the edge of consciousness. Through his haze, Luke heard Pikachu say, "This isn't fun anymore. I think it should be ready by now. All right, in you go…LUKE."

Luke heard screams of shock from Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel and felt himself being dragged toward the pond by Pikachu. Lucario, Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel were screaming through their gags, but Luke couldn't understand anything.

Finally, Pikachu threw Luke into the pond.

As Luke sank, the last thing he heard was Pikachu yelling, "The unnatural has been eliminated!"


	18. Chapter 18: The Human World

Down, down Luke sank, far deeper than it felt like the pond should be. Deeper and deeper. The water pressure felt like it was crushing him, and he was about to suffocate, but he was too weak to try, both physically and emotionally. Pikachu…it had always been Pikachu…

Suddenly, the water pressure relented, and it felt like Luke was floating up rather than sinking down.

Finally, his head broke the surface of water.

Luke was confused. He had…sank to the surface? He looked around.

This was NOT the pond in Felicity Forest. This was a different pond; the size of the pond, the fact that it was wide open as opposed to in a clearing, it was different.

The color of everything seemed different; it seemed darker and bleaker as opposed to the eye-popping colors he had grown used to.

It was an entirely different world.

With the last of his strength, Luke swam to shore and climbed onto precious land.

There, he saw his arms; they were not Riolu arms…they were human arms. He no longer had paws; he had human hands. He clenched them shut to adjust to this. Even the grass felt different against him. Some of it, he didn't feel because of his clothes. It slowly began to sink in…

Luke was human again, and he had been returned to the human world.

Questions raced through his mind, but before he could address any of them, he passed out.

He woke up later, much later. How much, he had no idea. That's when everything raced in his mind.

Was this how he'd ended up in the Pokémon world? How could he remember this? Was everyone in SIRS okay? Was Lucario okay? Why had Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel reacted in shock when Pikachu said his name? Why was Pikachu doing all this? Why had he been to and from the Pokémon world? Why couldn't he remember anything before he went to the Pokémon world?

Instinctively, wanting answers, he dived back into the pond and swam to the bottom, hoping he could swim back to the Pokémon world. Touching the bottom of the pond, he searched everywhere in the pond for some kind of path to the Pokémon world until he nearly suffocated. Then he floated back up.

The first thing he saw on land were two girls and a boy, all around his age.

"Luke! Luke! It's you!" they were crying out.

 _Who are these people?_ Luke thought. _They…know me?_ He swam over to them after catching his breath, and one girl stooped down and helped him out of the bond before hugging him tightly.

"Oh, Luke!" she cried. "I thought we'd lost you forever!"

Who was she? Why was she hugging him? Luke pondered these things before something hit him; he recognized her voice. He broke from her hug and stepped back.

The way they stood, the looks in their eyes, it was unmistakable. _You three are the Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel that harassed us!_ He took a defensive pose.

A look of sadness overcame the girl that had hugged him; she was the Riolu. "Oh, yeah…he doesn't remember anything, does he?"

"Yeah," the second girl, who was Kirlia in the Pokémon world said. "He took that hit for us and we got separated. That's why he was with that Pikachu."

"And no one ever said his name when we were around, nor did we ever say it," the boy, who was the Sneasel, added. "So there was no way any of us could have known…that Pikachu manipulated everything to turn Luke against us and to label us as scapegoats."

This was all too much for Luke to take in. The first girl observed this.

"Luke," said the girl. "Look at your reflection in the pond, then look at me."

Luke did this; he and the girl had remarkably similar faces.

 _You…_ Luke said. _Are…you…my sister?_

She grinned and nodded. "Yes! I'm your sister, and you're my brother!" She hugged him again, and he hugged back. "Is it any coincidence that we were both Riolu in the Pokémon world? My name's Luna!" Letting go of him, she gestured to the other two. "And these are our friends!"

"My name's Kira!" the other girl replied.

"And I'm Kuro," the boy said.

"And we're all together again!" Luna cried, hugging her brother and friends.

 _So…_ Luke said. _What you were searching for…was me?_

"And that Pikachu!" Kuro added. "We wanted to give that Pikachu what he deserved for attacking us and separating us!"

 _So…that's what happened,_ Luke said sadly. Everyone looked at him with concern as he continued, _Pikachu and I were friends and partners…but it was all a lie._ He snapped out of his funk and said, _Why were you three so aloof the whole time? Why didn't you say anything?_

"We couldn't trust anyone," Kira said. "That was clear to us when we entered the Pokémon world. You see, Luke, you, your sister, Kuro, and myself like to play at this pond. But this odd distortion in reality happened and that Pikachu attacked us astride this enormous, snake-like Pokémon. They launched an attack, and you jumped in the way to protect us. We all were sucked into the distortion; you went one way, we all went another...anyway, because of that attack, we decided that all Pokémon were hostile, especially that Pikachu; we thought you were one of his minions standing in our way, so that's why we were opposed to each other. I'll bet that attack is how you lost your memory, Luke. And I'll bet being thrown into that same distortion was the reason it took us a while to find you here. It took us days to get here."

 _Whoa…_ Luke thought. Then he said, _Guys…I'm sorry about all this. I'm sorry I fought you._

"And we're sorry for fighting you," Luna said. "Now, come on. We're home, in our world, so let's forget everything that's happened and just try to get back to normal life."

 _OK,_ Luke said. But, inside, he thought, _How can I forget? Lucario, and all my friends in SIRS, the lumberjacks, everyone in Felicity Town…that whole world…Pikachu…how can I forget?_

Luna, Kira, and Kuro took Luke to a house that was relatively close, and Luna said, "Welcome home, Luke. This is where you I live with Mom. Let's go in; I'll bet she's worried sick."

The four entered the house to the embrace of a kindly woman with tears in her eyes who said, "My children! You're home! I was so worried about you! Where have you been?!"

"We'll explain later, Mom…" Luna said. "Right now, Luke needs help. He's drenched, and Kira, Kuro, and I have been walking for days…"

"I'll make some hot chocolate for you!" Luke and Luna's mother replied. "Go into the living room, and we can talk there."

When her mother brought in the hot chocolate, Luna explained what had happened, about the Pokémon world and about Luke losing his memory. It took a lot of explaining on the parts of Luna, Kira, Kuro, and Luke, but she soon believed them.

Luke was embraced by his weeping mother, who said, "I know you don't remember anything, but I'm your mother, and I love you very much, as do your sister and friends."

Luke felt it. He smiled and said, _I know. I love you, too._

"Luke," Luna said with a smile. "Despite the fact that you lost your memory, you're still you. Kind, caring, forgiving. For that, you have no idea how happy I am, brother."

After this tender moment, everyone sat down and finished their hot chocolates.

Then, Luke ventured, _Luna…where's our father?_

Everyone stopped. Luna motioned for Luke to back down on that, but their mother said, "No, it's fine. He doesn't remember. He should be told. Luke…your father vanished a long time ago. He liked to wander off on his own 'adventures,' as he called them, into the woods. He'd look around for new things, help people who had gotten lost, and just have fun. He was a lumberjack, so, while on these 'adventures', he'd cut down trees to build things for us or tend to our fire.

"But…one day, he went on one of his adventures…and he never came back. No one ever found him, or anything belonging to him. It was if he vanished without a trace. But…he lives on. He lives on in you, Luke. You have his love of adventure, his driving spirit, his compassion for others…"

"You really are just like him, Luke," Luna said. "I know you can't remember, but you two…loved each other very much."

 _I bet…_ Luke said. As he said this, he began thinking, _He kind of sounds like…_

All of a sudden, they all heard the door open.

Into the living strode a man who looked just like Luke all grown up.

After a long, stunned silence, as Luke wondered who he was, Luna and her mother ran to him and hugged him for a long time, and he joyfully hugged back; all had tears in their eyes. Luke's suspicions about who this man was were confirmed.

"Dad!" Luna cried.

"You've come home!" her mother cried. "Where have you been?"

"Yes…I owe an explanation, don't I?" the man said. "But first…" He walked over to Luke and embraced him.

Luke tentatively hugged back. _So…this is my father…_ he thought. _But why did he show up conveniently just as we were talking about him? And why does his voice sound so familiar?_

"My son…" he said. "I know you can't remember anything…"

 _How does he know that?_ Luke wondered to himself.

"…but I'm your father, and I love you very much," Luke's father continued. "Maybe you can't remember our times here…but maybe you'll remember what we shared…in the Pokémon world."

 _The Pokémon world? He's been in the Pokémon world, and we've been together there?_ Luke thought. It made sense; his voice, this loving embrace, everything he'd heard about him…all of it was so familiar. Then it hit Luke. He pulled away and looked in his father's eyes to confirm it. He saw it; he saw everything in his eyes.

 _L…Lucario?_

Luke's father smiled, his eyes tearing up, and he nodded. "Yes."

Collapsing into his father's arms, sobbing, every emotion swelled up within Luke as he cried out, _You really ARE my father!_


	19. Chapter 19: Lucario's Tale

Pride and joy filled Luke as this sank in, but he had some questions, too.

When they let go, they both took in the shocked expressions of everyone else in the room.

Luke asked, _Dad…why didn't you tell me?_

Luke's father sighed. "Now that all that is out of the way…I suppose I owe all of you an explanation. So let me start from the beginning. I went out to that pond you kids like to play at myself on that day, and I was dragged in by a strange distortion of reality itself."

"That's what happened to us!" Luna cried out.

"I awoke by the pond of Felicity Forest, like you did, Luke," he continued. "The exception was, I retained my memory. There, I was found by a Heracross seeking resources for his friends in Honey Haven. This is the Heracross you know, Luke. I explained to him what had happened, fearful he wouldn't believe me…but he did." He let Luke absorb this; this is like what had happened with him and Pikachu, except Pikachu had been manipulating him. "My beloved family, believe me, all I wanted to do was come home…but I couldn't find a way. I told this to Heracross, so he vowed to do everything in his power to help me. We became the best of friends, going through every dungeon imaginable, trying to find something that would get me home.

"Even so, I adapted to life in the Pokémon world; to provide for myself, I took up my mantle as a lumberjack and built a home for myself in Felicity Town, where you and I lived with Pikachu, Luke.

"And yet, Heracross and I never made progress finding any way to get home. That's when Heracross said we should get the help of a legendary Pokémon; he knew where one lived, and we could get the Pokémon's help by fighting it to gain its respect. We were strong enough from our searches, so we dared to take it on."

 _Thundurus…_ Luke said. _Is that why you formed SIRS, Dad? To find a way home?_

Luke's father nodded remorsefully. "Yes. Heracross and I came up with the idea to form a group and continue bringing on experts to help Pokémon and carry out investigations, but it was all secretly for the purpose of getting me home. I helped everyone I could, but when the time came, I would have just left them there…anything to get home to my family.

"That's when Pikachu showed up; he claimed to be an orphan, all alone. I couldn't turn a blind eye to his suffering; I had to help! So I adopted Pikachu and raised him as my own. I realize now how he had been playing me the whole time…but it was while raising Pikachu that I heard about all the abductions and natural disasters, and I realized I couldn't just ignore the plight of the Pokémon. I…also heard distortions in reality had been occurring, so I hoped in my heart of hearts that somehow I could find a way home while trying to stop the crisis.

"Then…Luke…you came! When you came in with Pikachu, I could immediately tell it was you! And yet…I couldn't tell you or anyone else that I was your father. I knew you wouldn't believe me…and I was just too ashamed to reveal that I had disappeared on my family. So while Luke was in the Pokémon world, I took care of him…I got a new chance to start over, and take care of my son the way a father should take care of his family!" He sobbed. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there! Believe me, I wanted to be, with all my heart I wanted to watch my children grow up! I'm so sorry!"

Luke and Luna instantly hugged their father, with their mother joining in shortly after.

Once this embrace ended, Luna said, "Dad…you founded SIRS? You were the ones coming after us?"

"What are you talking about?" her father asked.

"Dad…" Luna said. "Me, Kira, Kuro…we were the Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel that caused your agents some trouble."

His look became one of utter horror, realizing what he was responsible for.

"We know what happened," Luna said. "Pikachu made sure we looked like criminals to keep attention off of himself. I don't blame you for our enmity in the Pokémon world."

"I'm so sorry for that, too!" her father apologized. "If I had only known…"

"As Luke said, we were somewhat aloof in the Pokémon world," Luna replied. "It made it all the easier for Pikachu to label us as criminals."

After one more embrace between father and daughter, everyone sat down and paused.

"So…what do we do now?" Luke and Luna's mother said, breaking the silence.

"I guess…we try to adjust back to life here in the human world?" Luna said. "After all, we're all back together…and what's happening in the Pokémon world isn't affecting us."

 _You're wrong!_

"That's not true!"

Luke and his father spoke simultaneously. Then father gestured son to speak first.

 _Luna, Kira, Kuro, I'm sorry you didn't really make friends in the Pokémon world and that you stuck to yourselves,_ Luke said. _But Dad and I have a lot of friends there. Heracross, Psyduck, Hippopotas, Porygon2, Munchlax, Togetic, Thundurus…they're all in trouble! Pikachu and Shaymin and her gang…they know everything about SIRS, and SIRS's leader is gone! If Pikachu has his way…the 'unnatural' will be eliminated! We have to save them!_

"You're absolutely right, son!" Luke's father exclaimed. "We have friends there that are in danger! I wish we could save them…but how will we get back there? And how will we get back home after that?"

 _It's a risk I'm willing to take!_ Luke exclaimed.

"No!" Kira exclaimed. "We went to the ends of that world and this one to find you and bring you home! Why would we go back to that world where we're wanted criminals?!"

"Because, Kira…" Luke's father replied. "…it's not just our friends in danger; that entire world is at stake. So is, I have to conclude, our world."

"What?!" Luna cried out.

"Some of the crises plaguing the Pokémon world are distortions in reality," Luke's father continued. "Remember that we all fell into such distortions, and that's how we ended up in the Pokémon world in the first place. And we only came back here because Pikachu and his minions threw us into such a distortion. Whatever Pikachu and the others are doing, it's going to affect this world as well."

Luke nodded. _I'm sorry, but it looks like we don't have a choice. I'm going to find a way back._

"So am I," Luke's father said. "So…are you coming with us?"

Luna, Kira, and Kuro looked at each other uneasily. Then Luna said, "I'm going, too."

"I'm coming with," Kira said.

"I'll follow my friends to the end," Kuro said.

Luke, beaming, said, _Dad and I will stick up for you when we get there. We know you're good people, on our side._

"I'm coming, too," Luke's mother said. "I lost all of you once; I'm not doing that again."

"Honey," Luke's father said. "Are you sure you'll be able to handle it? The rest of us have trained up, and these threats are horrifically powerful."

The sharp look in her eyes said it all; she wouldn't be left behind.

"Very well, then," he said, unable to help but smile at his wife's drive. "Let's go."

As soon as they went out the door, Kuro pointed in the direction of the pond and said, "Um…I don't think we'll have to look very far."

The area near the pond was distorted and released strange colors. They couldn't see the normal area leading to the pond.

"What's happening?" Kira asked.

"The distortions are getting stronger," Luke's father said. "We're running out of time. At the very least, it looks like returning to the Pokémon world won't be a problem. Come on!" The humans raced over to just in front of the distortion, before pausing and screaming in shock.

 _It's…_

"It's a Mystery Dungeon!"

"Here? In this world?!"

Luke, Luna, and their father responded as such to this shocking turn of events before the latter turned to face the group.

"I have no idea how or why there's a Mystery Dungeon in our world, or what will happen when we get in there. Stay close. We need to get to the pond; the distortion responsible for this is most likely there and will probably lead us back to the Pokémon world. Let's go. Into this Distortion Marsh."

Luke, Luna, their mother and father, Kira, and Kuro entered the Mystery Dungeon.


	20. Chapter 20: Pikachu's Tale, Part One

As soon as they stepped into the Mystery Dungeon, they realized the effect it had on them; they all had taken on the forms of Pokémon.

Luke and Luna were both Riolu again, Kira was once again a Kirlia, Kuro had become a Sneasel, and Luke and Luna's mother and father were both Lucario.

It didn't take long for all of them to adjust, and soon they were on their way, battling the Pokémon in their way; perhaps these were real world animals affected by the distortion? Either way, all of them, including Luke's mother, were very strong, and made it to a rest point without much effort.

There was a Deposit Box there, as usual. They wondered how it got there, yet they resupplied.

That's when the group was attacked; a lone Pokémon raced around them, throwing around bolts of electricity. It was Pikachu.

 _Pikachu?!_

"What are you doing here?!" Lucario (Luke's father) cried out.

"LUKE!" Pikachu cried out, eyes clenched. "FIGHT ME! NOW!" It was as if Pikachu was in some sort of blind fury; Pikachu looked like he was in pain. He didn't even notice anyone else there; he was just trying to fight Luke.

Everyone got into a commotion about Pikachu's appearance. Instinctively, Luke leapt in front of the pack.

 _Everyone, get behind me!_ he cried. _Clearly, Pikachu wants to fight me and only me. It's best if I do it. Besides, I know all of his attack patterns, and it doesn't look like he'll be paying attention to mine._ Hearing everyone's hesitant approval, he thought to himself, _Pikachu…my friend…my partner…my brother. You lied to me and betrayed me. You pose a threat to both the Pokémon and human worlds. But I still believe in you…you're still my brother, partner, and friend. I know you weren't entirely lying. We shared genuine moments of friendship, I know it. If fighting you means that maybe I can save you…save you from yourself…then I'll give it everything I have._ Then he cried out, _All right, Pikachu! I'll fight you, giving all I've got! You do the same!_

Barreling towards Luke, Pikachu used Volt Tackle, which sent Luke flying back. He shook it off, dodging other attacks and keeping his distance, using Quick Attack to deal damage. When Pikachu paused his flurry of attacks for a moment, Luke fired off a relentless amount of Brick Breaks, then backed off to dodge. He continued in this manner for a while.

Finally, Pikachu, fatigued from the battle and his rage, collapsed face down.

Luke rushed to his side, and everyone else surrounded them.

After a moment, Luke saw Pikachu shake his head and heard him murmuring.

Helping Pikachu to his feet, Luke saw what Pikachu was doing; Pikachu was crying, shaking his head, and muttering, "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

This came as a shock to everyone, Luke especially. But in the fondest hope that Pikachu might be his friend again, Luke embraced his friend and whispered, _There, there, it's OK. It's OK._

Pikachu pushed away, still sobbing, and said, shaking his head, "No…no, it's not okay, nothing about what I did was okay. I don't want to be a part of it anymore."

Luke looked at his family and back at Pikachu. _If you want to stop hurting Pokémon, then stop hurting Pokémon. Everything can go back to normal._

"No," Pikachu said. "It can't. I'm not in charge of all of this." He began shaking. "The one…ones…in charge…he…they…possess the kind of hate behind what I saw. Something horrible...unspeakable..."

 _Pikachu…_ Luke asked gently. _Who is it? Who's responsible for all of this?_

Pikachu was clearly terrified to say; he was shaking uncontrollably, out of both fear and remorse. He finally said, "It's Zygarde. Zygarde is the one who's been having all of those Pokémon abducted. He…they…caused all of those natural disasters, directly and indirectly. Zygarde is behind all of these distortions."

"Zygarde?" Luke's father asked. "How is that possible? Zygarde is the guardian of the Pokémon world's ecosystem. He's more of a watcher than anything else. Why would he cause all of this?"

"Well…" Pikachu said. "Zygarde is actually a collection of intelligent Cores and non-sentient Cells, all of which keep tabs on the ecosystem throughout the world. The Cores, while independent, are hive-minded and have begun to think as one, and they are really the brains of Zygarde and the mastermind behind everything; they can call the Cells together to form more powerful forms. 50% of Zygarde's Cells are in an enormous form monitoring everything in a cave in the Pokémon world. If all of them gathered together, Zygarde would be nigh on unstoppable. But, normally, Zygarde only does this if there's a significant threat to the ecosystem."

"Has this happened?" Luke's father asked.

"...It's complicated," Pikachu said. "You see, Zygarde has decided that the source of all the problems in the world's ecosystem are the result of 'unnaturals.' He…it's more like 'they'…he's been watching as he was assigned by Arceus, the creator of the Pokémon world, when the world was created. Recently, though...the ecosystem has exhibited odd behaviors; as the result of various events that have occurred in the Pokémon world lately…a falling star…the attack on Temporal Tower…the Glacier Palace and the Bittercold…Pokémon turning to stone, Dark Matter's assault on the Tree of Life…Zygarde grew bitter, angry. During these events, he saw certain Pokémon in the world rise that he deemed 'unnatural'…artificial Pokémon, Pokémon that defied reason and order (after all, Zygarde is the Order Pokémon), and…humans that had become Pokémon, like you. These events, for the most part, can't be contributed to any single Pokémon, and certainly not anyone Zygarde has deemed unnatural, but he won't hear it. He decided that these Pokémon were the cause of these crises, and needed to be removed from the ecosystem.

"Zygarde always seemed a benign Pokémon, ready to protect, so no one suspected a thing when he, through the Cores and Cells he has scattered throughout the land, requested the power of legendary Pokémon, pretending it was for a glorious campaign to cleanse and beautify the land for good, and to unite the Pokémon and human worlds."

"He wants to unite the Pokémon and human worlds…" Luke's father muttered. "That explains these distortions, but why would he want to do that? And how is he able to create these distortions? That's not something Zygarde should be able to do."

"You're right," Pikachu said. "Which is why he began to 'borrow the power,' as he says, of other legendary Pokémon by recruiting them into his campaign. One of these legendary Pokémon is Giratina, the Pokémon that can traverse the dimensions; Giratina's powers were necessary to connect the dimensions, so Zygarde brought him onto his campaign and had him create gaps between our worlds. He's also brought on Landorus and Groudon, as you've seen; the two of them and Zygarde are known as the primary guardians of the land, so he's commissioned them as commanders of his forces, like Giratina, in order to emphasize his powers over the earth." Pikachu paused, letting everyone absorb this. "Even without the contributions of the other legendary Pokémon, when Zygarde unites all of his Cells and Cores, his power is terrifyingly immense. But with their powers along with his…

"Anyway, if Zygarde ever had any good intentions in his goal to cleanse the ecosystem, they're completely gone; it's just devolved into a lust for power. He had the connections between the Pokémon and human worlds formed not just to throw any humans who enter our world back, but because he's decided, through the humans that came to the Pokémon world, that the human world was just as unclean as the Pokémon world, so he wants to cleanse it as well."

 _Zygarde wants to cleanse our world, too?!_ Luke cried out. _His actions have already had a bad impact on the Pokémon world; what would happen here?_

"His campaign for a beautiful land…his claim that he wants to beautify both worlds…it's all a lie," Pikachu said. "Everything Zygarde says is a lie. All he cares about now is ruling both worlds; he wants to conquer the Pokémon world and the human world so he can 'cleanse' them of what he deems to be unnatural. Zygarde's hate…it warped him from a guardian of the land to a ravager of the lands. I said Zygarde hated the 'unnatural' because he felt they were ruining the land and wouldn't hear otherwise. At this point, it's more like…he just doesn't care. He wants certain Pokémon….and maybe even some humans…gone so he can rule what he feels is his own perfect world!"

 _That's…that's awful!_ Luke said.

"Yes," Luke's father said. He and everyone else looked queasy and horror-struck at Zygarde's plan. "But, I need to ask: Zygarde can manipulate his Cells and Cores into action anywhere in the world. If that's the case, why doesn't he do that? Why are you and Shaymin and everyone else working for him?"

Pikachu sighed. "That's the big question, isn't it? Well…he is, but you'd never know it. Most of his Cores are just hiding in the shadows, lying in wait, keeping watch, preserving their power. But…he's got a couple of Cells and Cores running around making sure his plan is going as intended. As I said, you wouldn't know it by looking."

"Where?" Luke's father asked.

"Well…" Pikachu said. "As it goes…you are looking at them."


	21. Chapter 21: Pikachu's Tale, Part Two

Their screams of shock shook Luke and his family and friends.

 _Pikachu…_ Luke said. _You mean…you're…_

"Yes," Pikachu said. "I may be a Pikachu in every sense of the word…but Zygarde is a part of me."

"But…why?" Kuro asked. "Why would Zygarde want part of himself inside a Pikachu?"

"So no one would suspect a thing," Pikachu said. "Some of Zygarde's Cells are a part of me, and a Core is attached to my brain, so I can think like Zygarde and relay information directly to him. This made me the primary commander of Zygarde's forces, answerable only to him. Yet, the Core in my brain can still act independently and lock me out of private discussions with the other Cores. Also, I, as in my brain, can act independently so I can develop strategies of my own to assist Zygarde and command his forces and so I can function as a Pikachu and act like a young, innocent Pokemon, a watcher hidden in plain sight. By remaining hidden, Zygarde would never be a suspect in this case, and I would have taken the fall. If it came to it, I could be stopped and Zygarde would operate unaffected."

"Then that means…" Kira said. "You made scapegoats of us…but you yourself are a scapegoat by design."

Still with that heavy remorse, Pikachu nodded. "I was created by Arceus specifically for this purpose as a part of Zygarde's campaign. Zygarde could never hope to recruit Arceus into his campaign as a subordinate without Arceus becoming suspicious of Zygarde's true motives, so he settled with a vessel for the field.

"Together, Zygarde and I gathered up his forces and recruited the self-proclaimed protectors of nature: Shaymin and her gang. You see, they claim to be a group of fighters for nature, and they are very strong, so Zygarde and I brought them on board; hearing and believing Zygarde's lies, they said yes without hesitation."

Pikachu turned his attention to Luke's father. "Then, Lucario…you came to the Pokémon world. A human had entered because the distortions created by Giratina had already begun twisting the dimensions. So I came to you, pretending to be an orphan, and you took me in; I pretended not to know you were a human. I was able to communicate with Zygarde whenever I wanted without suspicion because of the Core in my brain, and I communicated with Shaymin's gang by night, as well as during my lone Mystery Dungeon 'explorations'.

"Our plan was to gain your trust, then lure you into a dimensional hole. Secretly, Zygarde and I had been analyzing your memories using the distortions, which involved having Giratina interpret data that is created in the distortions as Pokémon are 'scanned' when they traverse through them; we knew you wanted to go home, but I couldn't just bring you there immediately; it would look suspicious. Also, we couldn't fight you and force you there; it would attract too much attention, as you'd already made several friends.

"However, we had to delay that because, in your hunt to find a way home, you had been getting too close to figuring things out, so the three land guardians all caused various disasters to ensure you'd never find anything. That plan didn't work out; when the disappearances and disasters began, you and your friends devoted your searches to finding us, so we kept holding you back.

"Because of the trouble you caused us, I decided that while I told you I would be exploring Mystery Dungeons, in addition to keeping contact with Shaymin's gang, I would patrol the dimensional rifts with Giratina to keep other humans out, using the powers of the distortion to wipe their memories of the incidents. It worked for a while, but we needed a permanent solution to cleanly get you out of the Pokémon world and stop the investigations."

Pikachu turned to Luke, Luna, Kira, and Kuro. "Then we found you. In addition to learning your names, we deduced from Lucario's memories that you, Luke and Luna, were his children, and Kira and Kuro, you were their friends, and that he also cared about you two. We concocted a plan then and there to wipe your memories and use you to get closer to Lucario, to find the source of the investigations and put a stop to them, and to lure him out of the Pokémon world. But Luke took the whole memory-wiping blow for his sister and friends, and the incident dragged them all into the Pokémon world. Luke ended up in Felicity Forest, and the others were sent much farther away. Giratina and I split up. Giratina would handle Luna, Kira and Kuro; that failed because you three were gone by the time Giratina got to where you were, and you managed to avoid him.

"As for me…I found Luke and gained his trust. I took him in as a brother, a partner, and a friend, and it worked out well because when I introduced him, Lucario instantly recognized him as his son, but never said a word. Luke had inherited his father's love of adventure, so I was able to mimic how kind, innocent, genuine, and adventurous he was to seem like a kindred spirit to him, and the two of us worked our way into SIRS; I had finally tracked down the source of the investigations. Once that happened, the full plan was set into motion; have Shaymin and her gang get into SIRS and gain everyone's trust, then disappear, pretending to be kidnapped; we would then lure the search party toward Luna, Kira, and Kuro, who were aloof and untrusting as a result of our attack. Using them as a red Magikarp, we led SIRS on a wild Zangoose chase to weaken and exhaust them and buy time for our plan, then, through a series of traps, we lured the humans into the distortion."

Pikachu paused, letting everything settle in. "Then…I accidentally saw something Zygarde didn't want me to see. Looking into the Core's communications…" He shook, and tears rolled down his face. "I saw…what Zygarde really stood for. Everyone…Zygarde told Shaymin and the others, as well as myself, that our goal was just to get all humans into their world and temporarily imprison the 'unnaturals,' then move them into a new community, a place where they could belong. It would be a perfect, beautiful world. I promise, that's what I thought…it's what Shaymin and the others thought. It's what everyone Zygarde's been manipulating thought. I know that doesn't excuse my actions...but…what I saw…Zygarde doesn't want to create a beautiful world. He wants to create a horrific, ugly world where he's on top.

"Please…please don't ask me to describe what I saw. It was horrible, and words wouldn't do it justice. And please believe me that…Zygarde taught me and the others to hate unnaturals…and to hate humans. His idea of a cleansed world is all Pokémon and humans under his heel. Anyone who he deems unnatural…because they're different, out of place, or just oppose him…" He stopped and sobbed. Luke comforted him.

When Pikachu was able to compose himself, he said, "Zygarde is a brilliant mastermind, but there's one thing he didn't count on. My heart and his are not the same. He taught me to hate as he does. But…because of this, I'm not sure he can feel or even comprehend anything else anymore. I can. Luke…I realized this when you gave me that Weather Band that day; you barely knew me, but you trusted me completely. I couldn't shake that; on our adventures, we always worked together; we were unstoppable. We encouraged each other and stood by each other…and I meant everything I said. Luke…you're a human, but I couldn't hate you. I may have went in only acting like a kindred spirit to you…but soon…it felt genuine. I trusted you…cared about you…you really were my friend…my partner…my brother."

Luke began tearing up, still embracing his friend. _Pikachu…_ he said. _I just realized…in spite of everything…you never took it off._

"That's right," Pikachu said. "I never took off my Weather Band, and neither did you. During all this, I began to care about…Dad, too. I didn't want to hurt either of you. And, yet…I had to. I held my feelings back; it was all for Zygarde's new world. So…why did it hurt betraying you? Maybe if I fought you…I could snap out of it. But you didn't fight back. So I went along with the plan and sent you back to the human world. It still hurt, for a long time it hurt, and in that time…it felt like I was no longer one with Zygarde. Zygarde was a parasite plaguing me…then, in a moment of pure emotion, I broke through and saw Zygarde for what he was.

"I decided to resist…I would be my own self. I clung to my emotions, painful as they were, to break free of Zygarde. The sadness, the caring, the remorse, and…fully understanding these emotions, these true emotions, I realized you would try to come back. I had to help you. So I went on my patrol with Giratina, and I had him drop me here, telling him I'd hold you back myself. Yet, once I passed through the distortion…Zygarde somehow managed to figure out what I'd done. He tried yanking me back in to his hate, to force me to cooperate. I…I couldn't resist on my own for long. I got away from Giratina before he noticed and entered the human world...but it still hurt, Zygarde trying to pull me in. I went on a blind rage, trying to break free.

"Then you arrived, Luke. I hoped, maybe, if you could fight me, putting all of your heart and soul into it, you could help me break free. And you did, Luke. You cared about me so much, you helped me break free of Zygarde, Luke. Thank you." He sobbed into Luke's shoulder, and the two friends shared an embrace. "Luke…I can't ever repay you for what you did for me, or apologize enough for what I did to you and your family and friends…so, take this. It's the least I can do. I was able to store it fully when I attacked you and your sister and friends that day, but you should have it back."

Luke felt a warm feeling flowing through his body as Pikachu embraced him, more than the emotions already stirring within him. It started in his heart and pulsated there and in his head.

Pikachu let go of Luke and said, "Luke. Look at your family."

Luke turned around, and he collapsed, overcome.

He looked at his mother, and memories rushed through him of her cooking delicious foods, caring for him while he was sick, and tucking him into bed at night.

He looked at Luna, Kira, and Kuro, and remembered all the times they had played together, laughed, ran around, and talked to each other about everything.

Finally, he looked at his father; besides their time in the Pokémon world, he remembered going with his dad on all sorts of adventures, learning about the art of the lumberjack, and hearing stories from his father.

Tears streaming down his face, Luke uttered all he could. _I…remember._

His family and friends rushed over to him and embraced him, overcome with emotion just as he was. He embraced back his beloved family, remembering everything.

After that tender moment, Luke turned around, sobbing and embracing Pikachu once more. _Thank you, Pikachu! Thank you!_ For this gift, for defying his very purpose to be his friend, Luke couldn't thank Pikachu enough.

Luke felt the embrace of his family; they were also grateful to Pikachu for his gift, and had joined Luke's embrace of Pikachu.

"Pikachu," Luna muttered. "My brother calls you his brother. And now…so do I."


	22. Chapter 22: Back to the Pokémon World

The embrace lasted for a long time.

When it finally broke, Luke's father said, "So now we know what we're up against. The legendary Pokémon Zygarde, thoroughly corrupted by hate, has been manipulating everyone so he can take over both the Pokémon and human worlds by borrowing everyone's power, that is, recruiting powerful Pokémon to his cause."

"Yes," Pikachu said. "But...personally, I feel like 'stealing' is more of an apt term. These Pokémon have no idea what Zygarde truly stands for and will refuse to believe that Zygarde is at fault in any way. I know that my devotion to him was downright fanatical until I saw him for what he truly is. I know everyone else still feels the same way. We all saw...well, they still see...Zygarde as...a savior...and as a god."

 _I never realized,_ Luke said. _Everyone Zygarde has been manipulating is just as much a victim of his schemes as everyone else._

"Wait a minute," Luke's mother said. "You said Zygarde has a really powerful form he takes when all of his Cells and Cores unite into one being. So...once Zygarde sets his full plan into motion…once the 'unnaturals' are all rounded up…he'll take back the Cells and Core in your body, won't he? What will happen to you?"

"I don't know," Pikachu said. "What I do know is that the distortions are growing stronger, as you can see around you. Time is running out before Zygarde can carry out his full plan. Quite honestly, that's all I know; Zygarde's keeping me locked out of the knowledge of what his full plan truly is. What I can say is that we need to get to the pond and get back into the Pokémon world. I'll guide you all to where Zygarde is, and we can stop him. However…there are a couple of problems with that."

"Problems?" Luke's father asked.

"Well…you are attempting to leave the human world and return to the Pokémon world, as well as defy Zygarde," Pikachu said. "In addition, I've turned traitor on Zygarde's cause. This means he's going to declare us as unnaturals, which means everyone's coming after us. Specifically, I have no doubt he's going to send Giratina to stop us from coming back to the Pokémon world."

"Giratina…" Kira said. "That shadowy Pokémon that was with you when you attacked us?"

"Yes," Pikachu said. "Giratina only takes that form when in other dimensions and worlds outside of the Pokémon world. In the Pokémon world, he has a lot of legs and he's huge. Here, he's somewhat slender and floats around, and he's stronger, too. He's REALLY strong, much stronger than anyone we've faced. It'll be tough…"

… _but we can do it,_ Luke said, smiling, just like old times.

"One more thing," Pikachu said. "Luke, you may have broken me away from Zygarde's influence, but…it's only temporary. Zygarde's going to try to pull me back in, I know it. Worse yet…he may even try to control me. After what just happened…I can hold out for a little while, but, Luke, keep careful watch on me, and be prepared to fight me again if he does assume control." Luke nodded solemnly, and Pikachu said, "Great. Let's go, friends. Back to the Pokémon world."

Luke, Pikachu, Luna, Kira, Kuro, and Luke's parents traversed through the rest of the Distortion Marsh; driven by everything that had happened, they were unstoppable.

Finally, the group came to the pond. There was no sign of Giratina, but the surface of the pond had an odd color and moved in a strange way.

"The distortion is on the surface," Pikachu said. "Just jump in, and we'll all surface at the Felicity Forest pond."

"Perhaps," a tremendous voice suddenly roared from out of nowhere. "But only if you can get past me…which will not happen!"

The area suddenly became darker as a shadow seemed to rise from the pond. It spread its limbs wide, sweeping darkness around the pond area, giving it a dim, murky feel, like the human world in comparison to the Pokémon world. When it settled, the shadowy Pokémon let out a screeching, piercing roar; Giratina had come to stop them.

"Even with the traitor on your side, I will not let you stand in the way of Lord Zygarde's new world!" Giratina roared.

"Giratina, please, listen to reason!" Pikachu cried out. "Zygarde isn't who you think he is; he's cruel and manipulative!"

"SILENCE!" Giratina cried, smacking Pikachu into a tree with his tail. "Foul traitor, how dare you slander Lord Zygarde with your disgusting words?! You and your friends shall pay dearly for daring to stand against him!" He vanished instantly.

"Everyone, get out of his way!" Pikachu cried. "He's using Shadow Force! If you're in his path when he emerges, you'll be hit!"

Everyone dived aside as Giratina viciously emerged from the shadows.

"This is our shot!" Pikachu cried out. "Surround him and attack!"

Pikachu battered Giratina with Volt Tackle, Kuro slammed in several Ice Shards, Kira launched a Dazzling Gleam, Luke's mother used Foresight, Luke's father followed that with Aura Sphere, and Luke and Luna used Brick Break.

Giratina, despite his injuries, sank into the shadows again. Everyone jumped out of the way as Giratina used Shadow Force again, then surrounded him and battered him with the same attacks (except for Luke's mother, who now used Aura Sphere).

With a pained roar, Giratina collapsed, defeated, shocked that he had fallen so easily.

"Now, everyone!" Pikachu cried. "While he's down, jump in the pond!"

Kuro jumped in, followed by Kira and Luna. As Luke was about to jump in, Giratina rose up from the ground.

"No…" Giratina muttered. "I won't let you stand in the way of Lord Zygarde's perfect world." He barreled toward Luke, his parents, and Pikachu.

Before anyone else could react, Luke's mother jumped forward and used Protect to stop Giratina dead in his tracks. "Go, now!" she cried.

"Honey, no!" Luke's father cried. "We don't want to be separated from you again!"

 _We're not leaving without you!_ Luke cried.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice!" Luke's mother cried out. "If you don't go now, none of us will get through! I'll hold Giratina back!"

 _Mom…_

"I'll be OK! Trust me! All of you, get back there and stop Zygarde's plans!"

Luke's father nodded. "OK. I love you, honey. Come on, boys!"

With some gentle coaxing from Pikachu, Luke and his father jumped in with him.

"It's all up to you," they heard Luke's mother say. "Protect these worlds and everyone in them!"

They surfaced at the pond in Felicity Forest, where Luna, Kira, and Kuro were waiting.

When they gained their bearings and climbed out, Luna asked, "Where's Mom?"

Luke looked sadly at the pond as Lucario told her, Kira, and Kuro what had happened. "She'll be alright," Lucario said, smiling a smile that couldn't conceal his worry. "She's a strong woman; it's one of the reasons I love her. But let's not allow her protection to be in vain. Let's get out of here before Giratina gets here."

They raced through Felicity Forest, back to Felicity Town.

What they saw horrified them.

The town was empty and desolate; several buildings had collapsed to attacks. They went through and found absolutely no one. The lumberjack facility was in ruins.

Lucario's home, where he, Luke, and Pikachu had spent their days in the Pokémon world, had been burned to the ground.

As they walked over to the rubble, Lucario wrapped his arms around Luke and Pikachu, holding back tears. Luna embraced her father as Kira and Kuro watched with concern.

"Why?" Lucario asked. "Why? What purpose does all this destruction serve? What purpose does ravaging and emptying a town of innocent Pokémon serve?"

Pikachu shook his head. "I don't know," Pikachu said. "Maybe…he's warning us…or taunting us. Telling us we can't stop him."

"Pikachu…" Lucario said. "What became of SIRS after you threw us out of the Pokémon world?"

"I don't know," Pikachu said. "I ran away before they did anything. The plan was to capture everyone as unnaturals; I assume that's what happened."

All of a sudden, they heard a Pokémon flying above them, so they looked up; it was Tornadus!

"Hey, guys!" Tornadus said, yelling down and behind himself. "I found some Pokémon! Come on!"

Tornadus swooped down to them, and rushing to the group from the town's rubble came Heracross and Thundurus!

"Heracross! Thundurus!" Lucario cried, embracing his dear friends as they cried his name with relief. "You're both safe!" Then he backed up, with a stern expression. "I'm requesting a report. What happened?"

Heracross sighed. "They came so suddenly. Shaymin, Donphan, Lumineon, Noivern, Landorus…they broke in and captured everyone. We were too weak to defend ourselves because of our earlier fight with Landorus. Thundurus and I got away…I'm sorry we left everyone, but we heard a commotion in town, and we had to investigate."

"It was Groudon and Giratina, if you can believe it," Thundurus continued. "They were capturing everyone and…for no good reason…they just laid waste to the town. Maybe they were getting everyone to run outside and expose themselves to capture. Groudon did that." He pointed to the rubble of Lucario's house. "Sadly...we couldn't save anyone without risking being captured."

"We would have gladly sacrificed ourselves to rescue some of the townspeople, but, unfortunately, due to the circumstances of the attack, it wouldn't have helped," Heracross continued. "They wouldn't be able to escape, and would have been captured anyway."

"So Thundurus roared out and called me for help again," Tornadus said. "If I hadn't have come, he and Heracross would have been as good as captured. We were able to hold off everyone and escape."

"Hey," Thundurus said, indicating Luna, Kira, and Kuro. "It's that Riolu, Kirlia, and Sneasel! What are they doing here?!"

"Stand down, Thundurus," Lucario said. "I have a report as well." He told Heracross, Thundurus, and Tornadus about Pikachu's involvement in the scheme and his redemption, and admitted to Tornadus and Thundurus that he was a human, and also, to them and Heracross, he admitted that Luke, Luna, Kira, and Kuro were as well and explained their family relationships and friendships, as well as the fact that the latter three had been falsely accused the whole time. He told them what had transpired in the human world, including the distortions and Giratina's attacks. Finally, he explained what was transpiring around them, and how Zygarde was behind it all.

After a long pause, Heracross said, "OK, I think I get it. We need to stop Zygarde. To that end, Tornadus, Thundurus, and I will accompany you from here on out. We need to save our friends and the world!" The legendary Pokémon nodded their agreement.


	23. Chapter 23: Through the Steaming Fog

Lucario turned to Pikachu and said, "OK. You can lead us to Zygarde. Where is he?"

Pikachu thought about it and said, "I don't know…I can feel the Core in my brain blocking the knowledge of the location. But I can tell you where we should go first. We need to go to the Billowing Caverns. It's a hot place constantly billowing with steam, hence the name. It was there that…the horrific thing I saw…took place." He shook. "I don't want to go there…but if we go, we may find answers."

Looking at his map, Lucario said, "Here are the Billowing Caverns. Everyone…let's move out."

They made their way to the Billowing Caverns, and entered the Mystery Dungeon. Steaming geysers surrounded their every step, and boiling lava pits lined the caverns, where the visibility was blotted by the steam spewing from the geysers and the water condensing and re-evaporating over the lava pits. Yet, somehow, many Pokémon called these caverns home; the combined strength of all the Pokémon in the group made plowing through the dungeon easy.

Soon, they came upon an entrance to a clearing. Pikachu paused and began to tremble.

"It's in there," Pikachu said. "What I saw. I can feel it. It's all still there."

Luke rushed to his friend's side. _Be strong,_ Luke said. _We need to find answers as to how we can stop Zygarde. I'll be with you. Do you think you can handle it?_

Pikachu shuddered. "I don't think any of us will be able to handle it. But…you're right. Let's go."

The group entered the clearing; everyone froze in abject horror.

It was a large, cavernous room, with no geysers or lava pits. Rather…it was a Pokémon killing field.

Pokémon were strewn all over the room, and all of them were dead. All of them were artificial Pokémon, like Magnemite, Pokémon that defied reason, like Ditto, anything that fit Zygarde's definition of unnatural. Some were alone, some were families.

Pikachu turned away, and Luke went to the wall and vomited; Pikachu ran to his side and he and Luke tried to console each other, but this…this was awful beyond imagination, irrevocable. Tears of sickening horror misted their eyes. Luna, Kira, and Kuro came over to them, and they embraced silently; no one knew what to think, or feel. Lucario, Heracross, and the legendary Pokémon simply continued to stare in horror.

Finally, the stoic silence was broken by Lucario: "Over there."

The group slowly went to where Lucario was pointing, avoiding the dead bodies and paying their respects as they did so.

It was a large, circular, open space in the center of the cavern; in the middle was a book, and on top of it was a SIRS gadget. Lucario picked up the gadget.

"This is Noivern's gadget," Lucario said. "I don't know why it would be here, though."

"I think Shaymin and the others may have disposed of their gadgets after the incident at the Felicity Forest pond, once we stopped using them," Pikachu said. "They'd be casting off the shackles of SIRS and the unnaturals. I don't think Noivern or anyone else would still have them or even know one was here, except, maybe…"

"Zygarde," Lucario said. "But…why would he leave a SIRS gadget here? I'll look at the data in the gadget; as head of SIRS, I have authorization to access any SIRS gadget." However, upon opening it, his eyes slightly widened in shock. "This gadget has had all of its data erased…except for a video message. It's only on this gadget…it was never sent to the other gadgets. I'll open it."

However, upon opening the video message, Lucario's face contorted with a combination of horror and rage.

"What is it, Dad?" Luna asked.

"I don't even know if you should see this, but, just…look," Lucario said, putting the gadget on top of the book.

The video demonstrated the cavern; Pokémon ran around in fear as five slender, green and white dog-like creatures, attacked viciously without mercy, biting, slashing, and unleashing the wrath of the land. Horrific noises cut into the video, with screams of agony and terror from the Pokémon, wailing in pain or crying for their loved ones as the creatures ripped and tore, roaring as Pokémon fell, never to rise again.

This video was depicting the massacre that had taken place.

"Those…are all parts of Zygarde," Pikachu muttered in horror. "Each contains 10% of Zygarde's Cells and Cores. This is 50% of Zygarde's being causing this horror. Some of the Cells and Cores are in me, so Zygarde must have sent some from his main body in the cave where he lives. I…must have seen through one of their eyes…" He drifted away, too struck with terror and rage.

Everyone kept watching, horrified but unable to tear their eyes away from the massacre on the video.

Finally, when Zygarde had finished killing every last Pokémon, the 10% Formes of Zygarde drifted into individual Cells and Cores, which reassembled into a giant, menacing, snake-like being: Zygarde's 50% Forme. Its eyes were soulless, cruel, empty, and emotionless. This awful act had not saddened Zygarde or even filled him with a savage joy; he seemed to feel….nothing at all. It was all too clear he didn't care at all; he held absolutely no value in life.

"Filthy unnaturals…humans, traitors, abominations of nature…you are next," Zygarde said in the video transmission.

At that chilling warning, the transmission cut off.

There was silence from everyone for what felt like forever.

"He did this…" Lucario said. "…just to taunt us. Doing this now served absolutely no benefit to his scheme except to intimidate us."

"This…this is unforgivable," Kira said. "Causing this much permanent harm to so many Pokémon just to prove a point. And…we're next. So…we can't let this intimidate us!"

"But we always need to keep in mind what Zygarde has done," Kuro said. "This is what Zygarde stands for. Seeing this, we won't be intimidated or lied to." He grabbed the gadget. "I'll take this with us. We need to show everyone what Zygarde really stands for if they try to defend him."

"Kuro's right," Heracross said. "If Zygarde really is…this far into his twisted idealism, I don't know if there's a way back for him. If we simply weaken or capture him, then what? He regains his strength, breaks free, and this happens all over again. I hate to think about it, but in order to stop Zygarde, we may need to…"

"Look," Kira said. "The book." She picked it up.

The book was simply labeled "Unnaturals."

"Let me see that," Lucario said. Kira handed it to him, and he flipped through it, his face reflecting the awful contents of the book. "It opens with a thorough description of Zygarde's definition of unnatural. The rest…it's a list of Pokémon; all of them are considered unnaturals, and the reasons are described next to their names. Guys…this is an execution list, with the 'charges' listed." He flipped through. "Diancie, mutation of Carbink, Kyurem, the shell of a greater dragon, Genesect, fossil modification, Mewtwo, modified clone of Mew…and here we are; agents of SIRS, the evil organization opposing our perfect world…"

Kira snatched the book back and slammed it shut. "I don't want to hear anymore! We have to stop this! I'll take this; Kuro and I can show this and the gadget to anyone who stands with Zygarde!"

"Well…" Pikachu said. "We couldn't find anything about where Zygarde is, but now we have physical proof of what Zygarde truly stands for. Let's get out of here and keep looking."

The group turned around, but before they could leave, a voice from behind them cried out, "You will pay for what you've done here!"

They turned around, and a red Pokémon billowing with steam thudded down from the roof. It cried out, "This massacre is unforgivable! I figured it was only a matter of time before the foul Pokémon behind this returned! I am Volcanion, the ruler of the Billowing Caverns, and I will pay out vengeance for your desecration of my home by ending the lives of so many!"

 _No!_ Luke cried out. _We didn't do this! This was done as an attack on us!_

"Your arrogant lies will not stand here!" another voice behind them roared. When the group looked, three Pokémon landed behind them; a blue, sharp-eyed Pokémon, a stony, tough Pokémon, and a green, slender Pokémon. "I am Cobalion, and these are Terrakion and Virizion. We are the Swords of Justice. We have been helping Volcanion in order find the criminals behind this, and now you will feel the pain of justice!"

"They won't listen to us, and I don't blame them, seeing what's happened here," Lucario said to the others. "We need to weaken them, then we can straighten things out! Let's go!"

Luke, Pikachu, Luna, Kira, and Kuro took on Volcanion, Lucario and Heracross took on Cobalion, Thundurus fought Terrakion, and Tornadus fought Virizion.

It was an intense battle. Yet, Tornadus and Thundurus were able to defeat Virizion and Terrakion, respectively, and due to the sheer numbers against them, Lucario and Heracross defeated Cobalion, and the children were able to withstand Volcanion's boiling, steaming attacks and defeat him.

"No…" Volcanion muttered. "We couldn't…defeat them…"

"We didn't do this!" Luna cried. "Please believe us! Kira, Kuro, show them what we found!"

After seeing the book and video, the looks of terror overtook Volcanion and the Swords of Justice.

"I…apologize for this misunderstanding," Cobalion said ashamedly.

"So…Zygarde's the one behind all this, huh?" Terrakion asked.

"He needs to be stopped," Virizion said.

"That's what we're trying to do," Lucario explained. "But we don't know where Zygarde is right now."

"If only I'd known," Volcanion said. "I can tell you where Zygarde is. Follow me."

The group followed Volcanion to a far wall of the cavern, avoiding the massacre around them.

"Just beyond this wall is a Mystery Dungeon," Volcanion said. "It'll take you to Surveillance Mountain. Zygarde monitors everything from a cavern in the peak. You'll have to get through the cave inside the mountain to get there. Stand back." Everyone stepped back, and Volcanion used Steam Eruption, blasting a hole in the wall with an intense jet of boiling water. "I should tell you there's been a lot of activity around the base of the mountain recently; expect resistance when you get there." He turned away. "I'm going to try to find help…help dealing with what happened in here, and maybe some help in stopping Zygarde. Good luck. Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, thanks for your help."

"You're welcome," Cobalion said, turning to the group. "We'll be searching for help as well. We wish to assist in any way we can. Good luck in your upcoming battle."

"Thank you," Lucario said. "For everything."

At that, Volcanion and the Swords of Justice departed.

Lucario turned to the rest of the group. "Everyone, let's go. We're off to Surveillance Mountain."

The group, paying their respects to the fallen Pokémon, entered the Mystery Dungeon beyond the hole Volcanion had blasted in the cavern wall.


	24. Chapter 24: The Prison Camp

Nothing could stop the determined Pokémon as they traversed the Road to Surveillance Mountain. Powerful Pokémon, traps, Monster Houses, nothing would stop them. Sheer numbers, strength, and drive to conquer the evil that had caused the horrors they'd seen drove them through the Mystery Dungeon Volcanion had opened for them.

Finally, the group reached the base of Surveillance Mountain. What they saw, even given everything they'd seen, was absolutely appalling.

The base of the mountain had been turned into a prison camp.

There were searchlights, an announcement and siren system, prison cells containing Pokémon, other buildings, and a wired fence around the base. In front of the group was a door with a buzzer connecting to a PA system. The whole base was shrouded in darkness, as murky clouds seemed to gather directly over the prison.

The group stayed a good distance away from the gate in case there were cameras, and they remained low.

Pikachu went to the head of the group and whispered, "This isn't the only one; there's more to contain everyone Zygarde had abducted. But, clearly, this is the main base of operations; I remember now. Stay low. Maybe I can get them to let me in."

"Are you sure?" Lucario asked. "Zygarde's branded you as an unnatural because you betrayed his cause."

"I think I can convince them otherwise," Pikachu said. "If not, we might be able to just bust down the door. But let's save that. If I can get in far enough, I can let you all in and set the prisoners free. Otherwise, it'll be harder to let them go."

Lucario nodded and the group hid in the nearby foliage as Pikachu approached the door leading into the prison camp and buzzed the buzzer.

"Identify yourself; proclaim our motto." Shaymin's voice.

"Cleanse our world; eliminate the unnatural," Pikachu responded. He clearly looked sick as he said it.

There was a pause. Then came Shaymin's voice saying, "…Pikachu?"

"I know I've been branded an unnatural," said Pikachu. "But I'm here to repent of my foolish ways. My mind has been scrambled by associating too long with their kind. I'd like to re-associate myself with Lord Zygarde's glorious cause."

After a long pause, a loud buzzing sound accompanied the gate opening ever so slightly.

Pikachu quickly looked to where the group was hiding and nodded ever so subtly as to avoid detection in case there were cameras around. He entered, and the gate slammed shut.

 _Come on, Pikachu,_ Luke thought. _You can do this._

The group silently awaited a change for a long while.

Finally, the gate swung open.

"Come on, guys!" Pikachu's voice cried through the PA. "Hurry up, I've only got a moment!"

Without hesitation, the group raced through the gate, with it slamming just as they all got through.

As they made it through the gate, Luke noticed Pokémon diving out of opened prison cells as they slammed shut. As he looked closer, they looked familiar…it was hard to tell from a distance due to the size of the prison camp, but, definitely…

The prisoners approached, and it was clear.

 _Munchlax! Togetic! Porygon2!_ Luke cried.

"Psyduck! Hippopotas!" Lucario cried.

The agents of SIRS were all free!

Lucario, Heracross, Thundurus, and Luke quickly explained everything that had happened; the humans, Pikachu, and Zygarde.

All of a sudden, two other Pokémon appeared, soaring through the air, following the SIRS agents. They seemed to emanate power.

"So…Zygarde is the one who did this to us," one of them said, a purple Pokémon with a long tail who seemed to be the essence of power.

"In that case, we will contribute our power to stop them," the other Pokémon said; it was a Pokémon of steel that looked primitive and had a cannon on its back.

The first Pokémon spoke. "I am Mewtwo, and this is Genesect. We were Pokémon created to be the most powerful of them all, and that's why we were imprisoned here. We apologize for the delay in coming; Genesect and I were helping the other Pokémon escape the camp."

"That's fantastic," Lucario said. "I'm glad to hear everyone got out. Thanks for your help. Right now, one of our own is on the inside; he's the reason we got in and you got out. We need to rendezvous with him and make our way up the mountain to stop Zygarde."

"You will do no such thing!" Donphan's voice roared out.

He came barreling out of a large building closer to the mountain, along with Shaymin, Lumineon, and Noivern, who had Pikachu, struggling to break free, tightly clasped in his wings.

"Sneak into our base and break all the unnaturals free, will you?" Noivern said very loudly. "You'll pay for this!"

"Well, most of the unnaturals got away," Lumineon said. "That means there's plenty of cells to round up not only those left here, but our uninvited guests as well, all of whom are unnaturals."

"Excellent idea," Shaymin said. "We'll need some backup, though. Everyone, come on out! We need your help!"

The ground trembled at the last statement; at that, Groudon burst from the ground, Landorus came from the sky, and Giratina emerged from the shadows, taking on a form larger and bulkier, more like a dragon, than Luke remembered; it was the other Forme Pikachu mentioned.

"We've got a little roundup to do!" Shaymin cried out. "Everyone, let's seize those unnaturals!"

"Wait!" Pikachu cried out. "Stop! You don't have to do this! This whole campaign isn't what you think it is!"

"What are you talking about?!" Lumineon cried out, offended.

Luna, Kira, and Kuro stepped forward, laying down the SIRS gadget and the book. They showed the video and opened the book.

After it was said and done, Donphan used Rollout and barreled into the SIRS gadget, crushing it.

"How dare you create these slanderous lies?!" Donphan said.

"It's the truth!" Pikachu cried out, struggling and writhing harder than ever, crying out on a desperate tangent. "We saw it! All those Pokémon were mercilessly killed by Zygarde! He came out of hiding just to intimidate us! He doesn't want to just isolate the unnaturals from his new world! He wants to slaughter them! He wants to slaughter anyone else who defies him! He doesn't care about a clean world anymore! He just wants to rule it and the human world! He doesn't care about any of you! He just wants you to do his dirty work until all of the unnaturals are rounded up! He's going to dispose of you, too, I know it! Please! Listen to me! Believe me! I want to help you get away! Please!"

His desperate cries were choppy, as if he were resisting more than just Noivern's grasp. Luke thought of Pikachu's request. Pikachu must have been resisting for a while, holding on for everyone's sakes, but being so close to Zygarde, being in the grip of his minions…

 _Pikachu! Everyone, Pikachu's losing his grip! He's about to be possessed by Zygarde's control!_

"Don't listen to the unnatural's lies!" Shaymin cried. "He's manipulating us because he doesn't believe in Lord Zygarde's perfect world! Look at what he and the others have done to Pikachu!"

Something stirred within Luke. Shaymin genuinely believed this. Her gang, the other legendary Pokémon, everyone truly believed in Zygarde; they wouldn't be told otherwise or listen to reason. They needed to be subdued before they might listen to reason.

And yet, Luke couldn't think about that now; his friend was trapped in Zygarde's grip, and he needed to save him.

Suddenly, Pikachu's eyes drained empty, and he spoke with a menacing tone of voice; it was clearly Pikachu's voice, but it wasn't…it was overlaid with a deep, dark voice.

"Foul unnaturals, who would taint this holy ground with your mere presence…"

"Lord Zygarde!" Shaymin cried. "He speaks through Pikachu!" She and everyone turned towards Pikachu and the mountain and bowed, a sign of their terrifying reverence to Zygarde.

Through Pikachu, Zygarde continued, "We granted you all, in our mercy, presence in our lands; we gave you your own lands, a symbol of what we would do in our campaign to beautify this land." Clearly, Zygarde meant the prison cells, the cages. "But you, in your filth and ungratefulness, defied us. You invaded our lands to stand against us. And yet, we can find it within our kind heart to show you more mercy. We shall let you keep the lands we granted you. Return to your lands or we shall have to send you by force."

"Enough lies!" Pikachu cried out, resisting Zygarde's control. "Stop manipulating everyone! We know what you're really after! We saw it all!"

Reassuming control, Zygarde said, "You would lie and slander us, you who stand closest to us? Brainwashed by the unnaturals, your mindset has been warped to theirs. But you can still be with us. Redeem yourself, reclaim your rightful place, and eliminate the unnatural!"

"NO!" Pikachu cried out.

"Let this be an example of the unnaturals' evil influence," Zygarde said. "We will use Pikachu, the tainted one, as our vessel in this fight, and redeem him."

"Luke!" Pikachu cried out, clearly in agony. "PLEASE! HELP ME!"


	25. Chapter 25: Battle in the Prison Camp

SIRS, the humans, the legendary Pokémon, even Zygarde's minions, all watched in horror as Pikachu contorted in agony due to Zygarde's influence; but above all, Luke watched his friend suffer, and was driven more than ever to save him.

 _Pikachu! Don't worry! I'll save you, I promise!_

"Pikachu!" Shaymin cried out. "You unnaturals! You did this! Zygarde's trying to put Pikachu right, but you brainwashed him with your unnatural ways! We'll help Pikachu get right!" From her back, Shaymin pulled out a hidden pink flower. "Wonder why we went to Discovery Meadow that day we went missing? This is a Gracidea! With it, I can draw out my full power to stop you!" She transformed with the power of the Gracidea, and became taller and more intimidating than before. "This is my Sky Forme! Now I can fly!" Even her voice sounded different. "Now you will pay for what you've done, unnaturals! Landorus, Groudon, now!"

Landorus retreated for a moment as Groudon roared and the ground rose around him. Groudon was surrounded by energy, and when the energy vanished, Groudon was glowing and absolutely enormous. When Groudon emerged, the sun glowed intensely bright and the heat became searing hot.

At this, Landorus returned with a mirror. Looking into the mirror, Landorus transformed into a more powerful form.

"With my Sky Forme, Landorus's Therian Forme, and the power of Primal Groudon, we will save Pikachu from your influence!" Shaymin cried.

 _No, we'll save Pikachu and you from Zygarde's influence!_ Luke cried.

"Starting with this!"

Tornadus launched a Hurricane and used it to pull the mirror away from Landorus and back to him.

"Thundurus and I have Therian Formes, too!"

Using the mirror, Tornadus and Thundurus assumed their powerful Therian Formes as well, roaring with power as they did so.

"And I..." Lucario said. "…I think I can muster something new, too." He closed his eyes, and the black appendages on his head extended.

When they did so, Luke felt an odd sensation in the appendages on his head. He looked at Luna, and, somehow, he knew she felt it, too.

Suddenly, it was as if it was just the three of them.

"My children," Lucario said. "I can feel your Auras. Your Auras and mine are pulsating as one. Our hearts are uniting against this crisis. Uniting with the desire to protect our worlds…"

"…to defend everything we love…" Luna said.

 _And to save our friends!_ Luke cried out. _The power…I can feel it…_

"So do I…" Luna said.

"My children…" Lucario said. "We will rise above this!"

Everything returned into focus, and Lucario was surrounded by an energy that seem to pulsate within Luke's heart, as well as that of Luna's, he could tell.

When it vanished, Lucario emerged, looking more powerful and remarkably different.

" _WHOA!"_ Luke and Luna cried out simultaneously.

"Through the bond with his beloved children…" Heracross said. "Lucario…Mega Evolved. He's become…Mega Lucario!"

"And Luke and I feel stronger, too!" Luna said.

Lucario, with a fiercer expression than ever, turned to face SIRS and the legendary Pokémon opposing Zygarde's forces. "Everyone!" Lucario's voice echoed. "We will protect this world! We will stop this crisis! We will save everyone! Now, let's fight!"

With a battle cry, both sides charged at each other and the battle began.

 _Let me take Pikachu!_ Luke cried. _I need to be the one to snap him out of it!_

Everyone nodded and took on different Pokémon.

Tornadus and Thundurus took on Landorus, the agents of SIRS (including Lucario, but not Thundurus) took on Primal Groudon, Mewtwo and Genesect took on Giratina, and Luna, Kira, and Kuro took on Shaymin and her gang as Luke fought his friend Pikachu to save him once more.

It was an impressive and enormous battle. Giratina used Shadow Force on Mewtwo, but Genesect deftly brought Mewtwo out of the way and they both retaliated with Techno Blast and Psystrike, respectively. Kuro swiftly bombarded Shaymin's gang with Ice Shards, Kira launched plenty of Psychic attacks, and Luna bombarded the group with Brick Breaks. Tornadus and Thundurus launched all sorts of Double Storm Attacks (as they dubbed them) in order to overwhelm Landorus. While the other agents of SIRS had trouble taking on Primal Groudon, their smaller attacks built up, and Mega Lucario was not to be messed with; his powerful attacks complemented the rest of SIRS's attacks. As for Luke and Pikachu, their fight went just like the one in the Distortion Marsh; Luke, knowing Pikachu's battle strategies, dodged as Pikachu, controlled by Zygarde, simply went on a relentless offensive, and attacked back.

The battle was long, and brutally exhausting on everyone. Soon, Landorus was defeated, then Giratina, then Shaymin and her gang, then Primal Groudon.

Finally, Luke dealt a finishing blow and Pikachu collapsed; their battle had moved farther away from everyone else's, closer to the mountain.

Luke went to his friend's side as he collapsed and stirred him.

"Luke…thank you…" Pikachu muttered, slowly stumbling to his feet. Luna, Kira, and Kuro rushed over to help Luke and Pikachu. Lucario, reverting from his Mega Evolution, rushed over as well. He was shaking, clearly weakened from the fight, more so than anyone else.

 _We won,_ Luke said. He looked over and saw Zygarde's forces fallen in defeat and his allies exhausted, but still standing. _But we need to keep going. We need to get to Zygarde._

"No," Zygarde's voice echoed. Everyone looked and saw a red Core to one side of the armies, but near the base of the mountain. "It is clear to us now. All of you are completely worthless to us. All of you…are unnaturals. Especially YOU." The Core turned to face Luke. "You had the audacity to make our vessel FEEL. To care for others. To sympathize with the unnaturals. In doing so, you disrupted our plans. You and your allies turned Pikachu against us, getting him to lead you here. He is defective, and you are unnatural. You and your human friends." Cells began flying through the air to the Core, which was also addressing Pikachu, Luna, Kira, Kuro, and Lucario. "We assumed we could use you to our advantage. But you are all defective tools, unnaturals…and those must be disposed of!"

The Core and Cells formed 10% Forme Zygarde; as the children froze in fear and clung to Lucario, Zygarde raced towards them until he stood right in front of them.

"Taste the Land's Wrath!" Zygarde roared, and fired a swift and monstrous attack that would finish them.

It was the end. It was way too close, and they couldn't avoid it.

With the last of his strength, before anyone else had a chance to react, Lucario instinctively pushed the five young children away toward the mountain and far out of harm's way. He collapsed just as the attack landed.

Lucario screamed in agony as he took the deadly blow.

At that moment, Lucario began to glow a terrifying white as cracks raced up his body and the ground surrounded him, a monster hungry and ready to devour.

With a final scream from Lucario and Zygarde, there was a massive explosion of green Zygarde Cells and glowing white light. The five young children collapsed and covered themselves.

When the explosion had finished and the dust settled, the children, not wanting to believe what had happened, shook themselves off, stood up, and looked around.

Zygarde was gone. There was a chasm where Zygarde had launched the attack separating Luke, Pikachu, Luna, Kira, and Kuro from everyone else.

To the horror of the children, Lucario was nowhere to be seen.

The horrible truth sank in.

Zygarde's Land's Wrath had completely obliterated Lucario.

Lucario was gone. He had sacrificed himself to save the children.

Luke weakly dragged himself over to the chasm and looked into it, as if hoping to find some sign of his father. As he did so, every memory of his father came rushing back; caring for him as a child, walking through the woods, playing and having fun, laughing and telling stories. In the Pokémon world, he remembered Lucario taking him in without hesitation, his delicious meals and sitting around the fire, explorations with SIRS, the moments they had shared in the human world…

Luke collapsed and broke down.

 _Dad…_

Through his sorrow, he could feel it…Luna was grieving just as he was. He felt Luna next to him, sobbing as memories of her father rushed through her. He felt Kira and Kuro grieving and consoling them.

He also felt Pikachu grieving.

"Dad…I'm sorry," Pikachu muttered.

The children finally embraced, and they looked over the chasm to the horrified, saddened, and remorseful faces of the Pokémon on the other side.

SIRS and the legendary Pokémon were all grieving…all of the legendary Pokémon, even Groudon, and Shaymin and her gang were grieving as well.

"Luke...Pikachu…everyone…" Shaymin cried out to the children. "We're so sorry. For everything that's happened. You…you were right."

Her gang, Landorus, Groudon, and Giratina nodded their agreement.


	26. Chapter 26: Faceoff at the Mountain Peak

"I know…we can't undo everything that's happened," Shaymin said. "But if we can help you set things right…maybe we can begin to atone for what we did."

Luke felt the anger of his friends, mainly his sister Luna. They blamed Shaymin and the others for working with Zygarde. He had to say something.

 _I don't blame you!_ Luke cried out. _All of you…you were just as much victims in this as everyone else!_ He felt the shock of his comrades, but continued: _We'd welcome your help! We need to stop Zygarde once and for all!_

"You're right!" Shaymin cried out. "But look! The chasm ripped by the Land's Wrath cuts through the prison camp, side to side, and the fence doesn't have other gates. I'm still in my Sky Forme, and some of the other Pokémon over here can fly, so we can carry Pokémon across the chasm, then we can go up the mountain!"

"There's…no time!" Pikachu cried out. His voice was still clearly grieved. "Something's...wrong. Zygarde's attack shouldn't have been NEARLY that powerful...Dad shouldn't have..." Tears beaded down his face.

"The distortions I created," Giratina roared remorsefully. "Zygarde had me form a hidden pattern with them. One no one would be able to detect. There's one in Surveillance Mountain, and because of the pattern of distortions, that one is more powerful, by and far, than the others. At this point, I wouldn't put it past him to be harnessing the power of the distortion...a power to distort reality as we know it..."

"I can feel it," Pikachu said. "He's using the distortion to make himself more powerful, which...could have disastrous consequences...we've rounded up almost all of the unnaturals...it's almost time. He's going to set a 'final plan' in motion, he's saying. I don't know what it is, but...it's why he left after attacking. I do know this much: if we wait until everyone's across, we won't have time to get up the mountain!"

 _Then we have to go ourselves,_ Luke said to his comrades.

"What?!" Pikachu cried out, as did Luna, Kira, Kuro, and Shaymin.

"Luke," Pikachu said. "Zygarde holds the power of the distortion inside the mountain. There's no telling what will happen if we fight him now!"

 _I don't care,_ Luke said. _At the very least, if...he finishes us off...maybe we can buy some time until everyone gets up the mountain to fight him._ Tears streamed down his face. _Dad sacrificed himself for us, and I'm not letting it be in vain! One of his last wishes was for us to protect this world, and I'm going to give it everything I have! Luna…Kira…Kuro…Pikachu…what do you all say?_

There was a pause, still full of grief, but also of pondering.

"I'm going to do what Dad wanted," Luna said. "I'm sticking with you, Luke."

"I'm coming, too," Kira said. "Just like Luke, I'm giving it my everything!"

"Me too!" Kuro added. "Wherever my friends go, I will follow! What my friends give, so will I!"

"Count me in!" Pikachu cried. "Luke…you really are something special, you know that?"

Luke was able to flash a sad smile as the group headed around the base of the mountain, all the while hearing cries of support from Shaymin, then the agents of SIRS, before they faded from earshot.

"Keep going, and you'll find the cavern leading into the mountain!" Shaymin cried out.

"Good luck!" Heracross cried.

"Be strong in there, you hear?!" Thundurus roared, with agreement from Tornadus.

"I'll think about how you'll win in there!" Psyduck called.

"You can do this!" cried Hippopotas.

"MY ANALYSIS INDICATES YOUR IMMINENT SUCCESS IN YOUR MISSION!" Porygon2 cried out.

"Please be safe!" Togetic cried.

"Let's go, and win!" Munchlax called out.

That was the last they could hear.

Soon, they reached a cavernous entrance.

"This cave is an intense Mystery Dungeon," Pikachu said. "I'm sure the distortion in here is riling up the Pokémon that live in there and is bringing in Pokémon that wouldn't be expected in a place like this."

 _But we can do this,_ Luke said. _For Dad. For our friends. Let's go._

It was the toughest Mystery Dungeon yet, but the intrepid group of children would not be stopped. They were finally about to corner Zygarde; the final battle was upon them, and they only had one shot to stop Zygarde from completing his plans. The Mystery Dungeon threw everything it had at them, but the children wouldn't be deterred.

Finally, they reached a way to a clearing.

Pikachu paused and said, "Zygarde is in there. The 50% Forme that monitors everything. You could call it the command center of Zygarde. He will have no intention of fighting fairly; he wants to get rid of us."

The group shuddered, but Luke said, _I'm ready. Let's do this._

They entered the clearing, and stared into the eyes of Zygarde.

There was nothing; no savage joy, no remorse…no emotion, nothing. His stare was analytical, as if studying his prey. He had no love, no care, no regard for life. Words could not describe the horror that was this cruel being, who lied and manipulated everyone to push them to their doom, conquer two different worlds, and create savage dystopias out of them. How Zygarde had gone from a benign guardian of the land…to THIS, Luke couldn't comprehend. Nothing, no disaster or tragedy in the ecosystem could come close to justifying what Zygarde had become.

Suddenly, Zygarde glowed green, and his cells began flashing white all over his body. A bright flash in his eyes accompanied a vicious attack, Land's Wrath.

"Look out!" Luna cried, and everyone dived out of the way; they were farther away and had more advanced warning, so they dodged unscathed.

Zygarde swung his massive body, trying to use his tail to knock the children away, but the children dodged and leapt in front of the furious Zygarde.

"You filthy unnaturals don't deserve our words," Zygarde said. "But know this; it is because we are charging ourselves with our new power that you don't die instantly, like the unnatural outside."

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Luna cried, preparing to lunge at Zygarde; she stopped when Luke held up his arm.

 _Don't make this about revenge,_ Luke said. _That's not what Dad would want._

"Instead, your deaths shall be slow and painful," Zygarde said. "Resist all you want; perhaps it might amuse us."

"No!" Pikachu cried. "Our resistance won't be for your amusement! It will be your defeat!"

"You've done nothing but intentionally bring pain to everyone you've used and hunted down!" Kira cried.

"Kira's right!" Kuro cried. "We won't let you cause any more pain!"

"For our friends…for Dad…" Luna said.

 _We will stop you here and now!_ Luke finished.

"So be it," Zygarde said. "As we said, resist. It will be futile. Then, you'll taste our enormous power, but you won't live to tell anyone about it! Finally, the worlds will be ours!"

Zygarde roared and glowed, and he and the children warped into the Honey Haven.

As the children took in the surroundings, the Pokémon of the Honey Haven, agitated, surrounded the children.

"So that's Zygarde's plan," Kuro said. "To use the powers he's gaining from the distortion to warp us between Mystery Dungeons, agitating Pokémon to give us more opponents to fight while he weakens us."

 _Well, it won't work!_ Luke cried. _Let's fight!_

The battle was on. Luna, Kira, and Kuro took on the Honey Haven's Pokémon as Luke and Pikachu fought the vicious Zygarde. Once the Pokémon were knocked out and Zygarde took damage, a change to the Sacred Electric Lands accompanied Zygarde's roar.

Pikachu and Kuro switched attack positions, and soon, the Pokémon were knocked out and Zygarde was damaged.

With a roar, Zygarde sent them to the Challenger's Dungeon. He was damaged by Kira and Kuro as Luke and Kira switched places.

Next, they warped to the Discovery Meadow, then the Sacred Lands of Wind, then the Sacred Lands of Abundance, then the Distortion Marsh, then into the Billowing Caverns. The same strategy held; Pokémon attacked, and the children took turns fighting the local Pokémon and Zygarde until the former were knocked out and the latter warped them somewhere else.

They all noticed the prison camp was empty when they warped there, so the five children, despite their injuries from the fight, all fought Zygarde. They attacked with all of their might, resisting Zygarde's attacks and putting all they had into their own.

Finally, the children and Zygarde began warping erratically from dungeon to dungeon as Zygarde roared and flailed, leaving no time to fight, until they settled back in the cavern at the peak of Surveillance Mountain.

At that, Zygarde collapsed.

 _We…we actually did it…_ Luke said, panting.

Zygarde groaned in pain as several Cells dissolved from his body, reducing him to his 10% Forme. He climbed up, defeated and exhausted, but still hateful and unwilling to surrender.

The children surrounded Zygarde, preparing one final attack to finish him off; it was at that when SIRS, Shaymin's gang, and all the legendary Pokémon arrived to provide assistance.

"What's happening?" Shaymin asked.

"Zygarde's...down," Pikachu said. "We can defeat him right here, right now."

With a furious roar, Zygarde bellowed, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" At that roar, Zygarde morphed into a clump of Cells and flew through the air towards the united group.

"Zygarde's Thousand Arrows!" Pikachu cried.

"Look out!" Kira cried, barreling in front of everyone and using Protect. Unfortunately, it was only able to cover herself and the other children.

As for everyone else, those who could fly were slammed into the ground.

The clump of Cells that was Zygarde swept along the ground, an attack which Pikachu identified as Thousand Waves. The Cells seemed to churn up the ground as they came, but no one could react quickly enough except the children.

Kira was able to Protect her immediate allies, but everyone else was trapped by the churned-up ground. They couldn't move or leave.

Zygarde's Cells returned into his 10% Forme as more and more Cells and Cores began to swarm out of the ground and puddle around him. He seemed out of energy, but he had something else up his sleeve.

That was when Zygarde began to glow and the cavern started to shake.

"What's happening?" Luna said.

A hole broke in the cavern's roof, revealing sunlight and a barrage of green beams, which fell onto Zygarde. The puddle of Cells simultaneously began barreling up around Zygarde as he began to laugh.

"Oh no," Pikachu said. "He's using the distortion to restore the energy he lost; in reality, what he lost was nothing compared to the power he had stored away inside himself; I knew it seemed too easy to beat him. He was purposefully holding back; he was just stalling for the sake of his power."

All of a sudden, Pikachu shook, screamed, and collapsed as green beams emerged from his body towards Zygarde.

The other children, being the only ones able to move after Zygarde's attack, raced to Pikachu's aid and helped him weakly get to his feet.

"Zygarde…" Pikachu said. "He…pulled the Cells and Core from my body. But…" He heaved and supported himself. "I can hang on. I'll be OK, I think…"

When Pikachu had fully regained his balance, everyone looked at Zygarde.

He was even more enormous than before; he stood on two legs and seemed to emanate power from his entire body. His torso had eyes and a mouth, and glaring from Zygarde's face were eyes even more menacing and hateful than before, if that was possible.

"Zygarde...he's assumed his Complete Forme," Pikachu said, beginning to panic. "He's united all of his Cells and Cores into one being. He normally does this on instinct when his 10% or 50% Forme is weakened. But this is something different entirely...Zygarde...his plan...they're...both...complete. And even that's not enough!" He was hyperventilating at this point and almost collapsed; Luke caught him, and after a moment, Pikachu calmed down and continued, "He's sapping power from everyone that's stuck in the ground! It started the moment his Cells attacked them. It's...it's hopeless...we're powerless next to him."

"Brilliant observation," Zygarde sarcastically mocked. "Now...it's time to eliminate the unnatural!"

Zygarde soared high up and used what Pikachu identified as Core Enforcer, firing a beam and etching a "Z" into the ground as it smacked everyone trapped in the ground, but not the children, whom Kira was able to Protect again.

Zygarde laughed as everyone hit by Core Enforcer collapsed, on the point of death; he had sapped nearly all of everyone's power at once. By firing this beam, he had dealt heavy damage to them and, through the beam, drawn their power into his Cells.

Zygarde slammed into the ground with a thud, cracking a chunk of the rocky cave floor around his feet; the children ran back to avoid the effect of the impact. The chunk of rocky cave around Zygarde's feet cracked away from the ground and started slowly moving upward as Zygarde cruelly laughed.

"You will all be destroyed, bound to this cavern!" Zygarde roared. "We will propel this rock up into the far reaches of space and then barrel it back down to obliterate this mountain and anything in and around it! The impact, combined with the powers of our distortions, will create a gap between the Pokémon and human worlds, where, with our new powers, we will assume full control of these worlds!"

"No!" Pikachu said. "He's going to drop that rock on us, and everyone else can't get away!"

"We ran back too far!" Kira said. "We'll never make it over there onto the rock in time!"

"Unless…" Kuro said, looking and nodding at Luna and Kira. Then, looking at Luke and Pikachu, who had instinctively leapt in front of them, he shouted, "Luke! Pikachu! Run towards Zygarde!"

They did so, as they heard Luna, Kira, and Kuro running behind them.

"JUMP!" Kuro cried as they got close to the rock.

Luke and Pikachu leapt; they'd never reach it, or so they thought; nevertheless, they did so.

As they fell, Luke felt Luna under his foot, boosting him up; she leapt with all of her might, and Luke jumped, getting closer to the rock.

Luke saw Pikachu jump from on top of Kuro, who slashed him higher.

A final burst of Kira's Psychic power sent Luke and Pikachu higher; they were able to grab and cling onto the edge of the rock.

"LUKE! PIKACHU! YOU CAN DO THIS!" Luna cried out. "IT'S UP TO YOU NOW!"


	27. Chapter 27: The Final Battle

Despite the trauma of having the Zygarde Cores and Cells ripped from his body, Pikachu managed to climb onto the rock, which was rising upwards faster and getting higher and higher.

However, as Luke attempted to climb up, the rock shook violently. He and Pikachu clung as tightly as they could to the rock.

"Luke! Zygarde realized we got onto the rock and he's trying to shake us off!" Pikachu cried. "Hang on!"

But Luke found hanging on was getting harder. The rock was going up faster, it was getting higher. Luke was struggling to breathe as the air thinned. And grabbing, holding on…felt odd for some reason…

"Zygarde's creating a distortion around the rock! It'll let him breathe high up and ultimately explode to create the interdimensional gap when it crashes! It's stretched over the whole rock, so we can breathe in it, too!" Pikachu yelled, interrupting Luke's thoughts.

As it became harder to hold on, Luke realized why; the distortion had turned him human. He was human in this world! Despite now having opposable thumbs, Luke was having a harder time holding on than as a Riolu.

As Luke adjusted to the different sensations on his skin now that he was human, he understood why.

The distortion was blocking him from fully grabbing onto the rock or climbing onto it because he was a human and not a Pokémon.

Luke tried to hold on, but he slipped further down the distortion as he began to suffocate; it was only a matter of time before he plummeted to his doom, and Pikachu, whose Electric moves would be ineffective on Zygarde and who was remarkably weak, would be left to fight; without Luke, he would surely fail.

 _So...this is where it all ends...for all of us..._ he thought. _I'm sorry..._ Every friend he'd made, his family, and everyone flashed before his eyes as he prepared to fall to his death. And yet...

 _No..._

Defying all reason, logic, and order, driven by the resolve to save his friends, Luke dug his fingers into the distortion just before he completely lost his grip. He couldn't penetrate the distortion, but he had to climb up and then try.

With every grab and every step, Luke was driven forward by the visions of everyone he cared about; it was like a visual chant, as if they each were encouraging him not to give up. The villagers of Felicity Town...the lumberjacks...the legendary Pokémon who had helped him come so far...the Pokémon Zygarde had manipulated who defected to help him...the agents of SIRS...his mother...Kira...Kuro...Luna...his father...Pikachu.

Driven forward by these visions, resisting suffocation and Zygarde's attempts to break his grip on the rock, Luke managed to grasp, with all of his might, the distortion surrounding the rock's ledge.

Pikachu managed to regain his strength through sheer will as he saw Luke do this and struggled over to where Luke held on for dear life.

That's when it hit Luke. _He was taught to hate humans his whole life…_ Luke thought. Pikachu would see him as a human for the first time. _What will he think when he sees me like this? How deeply has his change of mindset truly affected him?_

Pikachu was unfazed. Clearly driven forward as much as Luke was, Pikachu reached out with both of his hands to grab Luke.

Luke hated himself for doubting Pikachu; he reached out to grab Pikachu's hands, but he couldn't; the distortion was still blocking him out.

There was no way Luke was giving up now; as hard as he could, Luke slammed his fist into the distortion.

Pikachu, taking a cue from Luke, rammed himself into Luke's fist as he punched the distortion.

The brothers rammed at the distortion separating them with all of their might, while Zygarde, not moving from his position on the rock, continued to slam his foot into the rock to try to shake them off.

Finally, with one punch, as Pikachu backed away, Luke's arm penetrated the distortion. He used that hand to grab the rock and continued to punch at the distortion with the other.

As Luke's hand clasped the surface of the rock, Pikachu began to pull Luke's arm to yank him onto it as Luke continued to attack the distortion with all of his might.

Soon, with one more punch, Luke broke through the distortion, and Pikachu pulled Luke onto the surface of the rock in the brief moment that they had.

As Luke and Pikachu climbed to their feet and Luke heaved for precious air, Luke realized that breaking through the distortion had turned him into a Riolu once again.

 _Pikachu…_ Luke said. _Even though I had become a human…you…_

"I didn't care that you were a human!" Pikachu screamed against the upward thrust of the rock. "You're my friend, and that's all that matters to me!"

Luke's heart filled up with emotions, but he held them back as he and Pikachu turned to face the vicious Zygarde.

"Luke," Pikachu said. "Zygarde needs to conserve his power. To finish his plan, he needs to stay still. He can't use Thousand Arrows, Thousand Waves, or Core Enforcer; he needs to keep his Cells and Cores together. He also can't use Land's Wrath; that would shatter the rock. He also has to use a sizeable fraction of his power to propel the rock up like this. This is our chance, Luke! He's vulnerable! We can stop him once and for all up here!"

 _But…_ Luke said. _He's propelling us into space! Why are we going so high? What will happen to us if we defeat him?_

"Let us answer your questions," Zygarde taunted. "From as high a height as possible, more than Surveillance Mountain will be obliterated; every dungeon you've explored, every friend you've met…and your beloved Felicity will fall!"

 _NO!_ Luke cried. _We won't let you do that!_

"But you will," Zygarde said. "For if you defeat us, you two will plummet into the earth!"

 _I don't care!_ Luke cried. _Dad sacrificed himself for us, and I'm willing to do the same to protect my friends and family! Come on, Pikachu! Let's end this!_

Pikachu nodded and Zygarde roared, and the final battle began.

Luke and Pikachu used their attacks to damage and ram into Zygarde with all of their might. Zygarde retaliated by shaking the rock and trying to knock them off, like before. He also used his Dragon-type moves on the two, but they were able to dodge them and retaliate effectively.

After several impacts, Zygarde seemed to vanish, and Heracross appeared in his place.

 _Heracross!_ Luke cried.

"No," Pikachu said. "It's a manifestation of Heracross's power! Since he's trapped down there, Zygarde's still sapping his power! If we can defeat this power, it will return to Heracross!"

They fought the manifestation as they had fought Heracross before until it fainted.

As it drifted away, they heard Heracross say, "You've got this!"

"Let's keep fighting!" Pikachu cried. "Zygarde's stored all of the stolen power of the Pokémon and distortions into his Cells; if we attack with all we've got, we can destroy the Cells, return everyone's lost power, and permanently weaken Zygarde!"

As they fought, they defeated the manifestations, which were sometimes alone and sometimes in groups, of Psyduck, Hippopotas, Porygon2, Togetic, Munchlax, Thundurus, Tornadus, Mewtwo, Genesect, Landorus, Groudon, Giratina, Noivern, Donphan, Lumineon, and Shaymin, hearing their cries of encouragement as they saved them from Zygarde's clutches, in that order.

"It's a no-brainer! You can do this!"

"Come on, my friends!"

"MY ANALYSIS SAYS VICTORY IS ASSURED! GO, MY FRIENDS!"

"You guys can win!"

"Fight, fight, fight! Win, win, win! Then we can go and eat!"

"You beat me, so you better overcome this!"

"Keep on fighting, guys! Fight like I know you can!"

"I saw your father's sacrifice. Make him prouder than he must already be."

"Keep fighting! Don't you give up!"

"Protect the earth and its glorious abundance!"

"The sun shines bright on you two and your spirits! Keep going!"

"You are the ones who can do this! Get me my powers back!"

"Don't give up! It's all on you!"

"Your strength is to be admired! Use it to save this world!"

"This world and those who peacefully live in it are beautiful. Please preserve that."

"We said we were the guardians of nature, but we defiled that claim in our actions. The true guardians of nature are you two! Triumph, and save us all!"

With each blow, Zygarde's Cells had been scattering and falling off the rock, and Zygarde himself grew weaker and more transparent, if still Complete, which, according to Pikachu, shouldn't have been possible. However, after Shaymin had been rescued, Zygarde completely shifted to his 50% Forme.

Next, after trading more blows with Zygarde, manifestations of Luna, Kira, and Kuro emerged. Luke and Pikachu concluded that they must have remained with the others and ended up getting their power sapped as well, albeit more slowly due to not being hit by Zygarde's moves.

Pikachu and Luke defeated their power manifestations, and Kuro, Kira, and Luna cried their encouragement.

"I've seen you two. Zygarde has NOTHING on you two!"

"I've always had kind of a negative outlook, but all I can see now is you two beating Zygarde and saving us all!"

"My brothers…my dear brothers…for Dad…I believe in you!"

Luke and Pikachu whittled away at Zygarde until Zygarde was reduced to his 10% Forme.

In a last-ditch effort, Zygarde roared…and Lucario appeared in front of the boys, Mega Evolved and vicious, purely a distortion.

The boys put aside their fury and sadness and defeated the illusion.

Within their hearts, they could feel Lucario saying, "My beloved sons…I was right to leave the future to you. You have shown that. With the last of your power, end this crisis!"

Luke and Pikachu looked at each other, empowered, and traded more blows with Zygarde, who was now incredibly weak, but still refused to give up.

Finally, they charged at Zygarde, ramming him with all they had.

It was too much; they had rammed away and destroyed most of Zygarde's Cells, and had sapped all of Zygarde's stolen power. The distortion around the rock completely shattered, and Zygarde, powerless, plummeted off the rock to the earth, limp and lifeless but for a horrendous scream.

Luke and Pikachu looked at each other and embraced with the last of their power.

Luke wanted to say that they did it, that they won, that they saved everyone, but they were too high up. As he tried to speak, he couldn't catch air, and neither could Pikachu.

That's when the boys noticed one final blue Core still on the rock; it was the one that had been attached to Pikachu's brain. It couldn't fight, and was barely alive, but it could speak.

"I hope you boys are proud of yourselves…" the Core muttered, the last consciousness of Zygarde. "You defeated us, and in doing so have inherited our legacy…hahaha…we die, but so do you…so do your worthless friends. The rock shall plummet and destroy everything you ever loved…that, at least, was our victory. Then, if suffocation doesn't do you in, your fall certainly will. We have won…we have eliminated the unnatural." At that, the Core lost consciousness and slipped off of the rock, plummeting to earth.

The boys looked at each other with tears in their eyes from the awful realization of Zygarde's statements and the air slamming into their face as they fell. They slipped off of the rock and embraced until they lost consciousness midair.


	28. Chapter 28: Sweet Reunions, Sad Partings

Luke and Pikachu came to inside what seemed to be a cloud.

"Luke…" Pikachu muttered as they looked around. "Is this…the other side?"

"Yes," a harsh voice said. Through the mist, they spotted the blue Zygarde Core that had taunted them. "All of us are no longer. We left our mortal skins as a result of the fall. And what a shame, too. What would happen if Xerneas and Yveltal were to go on a rampage? You see, our purpose was to maintain order in the ecosystem. So if something like we said happens, the world shall be doomed. And it's all your fault."

"If it's all our fault…if it was your job to protect the ecosystem, why did you try to destroy it?" Pikachu asked.

"We were trying to cleanse it of its ugliness…the unnatural foulnesses that defiled it…" the Core muttered, utterly remorseless and completely uncaring.

"In my eyes, you were trying to destroy it," Pikachu said. "In my eyes, the only ugliness in the world, the only unnatural foulness…it's you and your hate. You spent my whole life teaching me otherwise, and I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner. But now, you and your hate no longer have a hold of me. I've chosen my friends. What will you choose?"

"Vengeance in the hereafter!" the Core roared, charging at Luke and Pikachu while summoning other Cells and Cores.

Luke and Pikachu looked at each other and knocked all of Zygarde's Cells and Cores far away with a single blow. As the Cells and Cores flew away, they vanished; the vile Zygarde and his consciousness had been completely obliterated for good.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and a powerful Pokémon appeared before them.

"Luke…Pikachu…it is thanks to you that both of your worlds have been saved," the Pokémon said. "I am Arceus, the creator of the Pokémon world. Zygarde enlisted me in his campaign by having me create you, Pikachu. Because of Zygarde's role in the world and his growing powers, I could not interfere. But you boys have succeeded in doing what, sadly, needed to be done."

"But if Zygarde's gone, what will happen to the ecosystem?" Pikachu said.

"There is nothing wrong with the ecosystem," Arceus said. "For the time being, Pokémon will be able to maintain it. But, soon, there will come a time when it will fall into disarray. I will then use my powers, and Zygarde will rise again. But this will be a new Zygarde. A different Zygarde. This one will be uncorrupted by the hate of the Zygarde that once was. And this Zygarde will protect the ecosystem and take its rightful place."

 _Wait a minute!_ Luke cried. _The falling rock…what became of that?_

"When Zygarde was destroyed, everyone was freed from Zygarde's bindings," Arceus said. "Thanks to your triumph, I, alerted there by the legendary Pokémon of the steaming fog and the Swords of Justice, and the other Pokémon were able to interrupt the falling rock's descent, using our powers to make it land gently in its rightful place in Surveillance Mountain. Everyone is alright."

Luke sighed. _Thank goodness._

"But that is not why I'm here," Arceus said. "You have not completely left your mortal lives yet, but are merely unconscious. Ergo, you must return back to the world, and I will lead you there. But first…someone desperately wanted to see you two before you left. To say goodbye."

Arceus moved aside, and through the mist strode Lucario.

Luke and Pikachu teared up and rushed to embrace him.

 _Dad!_ Luke sobbed.

"My sons," Lucario said. "Both of you. You and Luna and SIRS and everyone are the reason these worlds can live on."

 _But we couldn't have done it without you!_ Luke sobbed. _I miss you already!_

Lucario embraced Luke. "I'm sorry. I did what I knew was right by you."

 _Dad…Mom, Luna and I…we need you._

Pikachu stood by and watched this display, the love of a father and son separated by tragedy. He turned to Arceus with tears in his eyes and yelled, "Arceus! Let me take his place!"

Luke and Lucario yelled in shock, and Luke ran over to Pikachu.

 _Pikachu, no! You can't do that!_ Luke cried. _You have too much to live for! You can't sacrifice yourself...I want Dad back...but...I don't want to have to lose you in order for it to happen...you can't leave me!_

Pikachu sighed. "I suppose I should've said something sooner; I was going to disappear anyway." Luke gasped. "I was built to accommodate the one Zygarde Core and various Cells. Without them, I couldn't survive for long. I was able to hold on long enough to defeat Zygarde, thank goodness. But…Luke…I'm not going to live long after this."

Luke turned to Arceus with tears in his eyes. _Arceus…is this true?_

Arceus bowed his head. "Yes. I'm afraid it is."

"But, Luke," Pikachu said. "You said it yourself...you…Luna…your mother…you need your father. He's done nothing but wonderful things for everyone he's met, and he should continue doing great things. But, me…I did horrible things. I've been trying to atone for everything, but can I truly? If I do this, I think…I can really atone for what I did. From being against humans and unnaturals to trading my life for my friends. Let me do that for him. Luke, let me do that for you."

Luke, tears rolling down his cheeks, was near hysterics, but knew Pikachu was right. He needed his father. But he didn't want to have to choose; he cared about both and didn't want to lose Pikachu either.

When Luke said this, Pikachu said, "But you aren't choosing. You're getting your father back. Are you OK with this? Do you want your father back?"

Sobbing, Luke slowly nodded. "Yes. I'm OK with this. I want Dad back...more than anything..."

Lucario had watched from a distance, and tears rolled down his cheeks as he came to Pikachu. "You don't have to do this for me!"

"Yes, I do," Pikachu said. "Look at Luke. Think of your wife…think of Luna…all of them need you."

Lucario nodded, hesitantly agreeing. "Pikachu…are you sure you want to do this?"

"Absolutely." Pikachu turned to Arceus. "Can you do this?"

Arceus paused, deep in thought. "Normally, such an exchange wouldn't be possible," Arceus said. "But…the pureness of your sacrifice…the love all of you share…it's strong enough to transcend this. So…it seems to be alright with Luke and Lucario…Pikachu, through your sacrifice, Lucario shall live again!" He paused. "I must prepare. I'll give you a moment."

Pikachu embraced Lucario.

"Thank you," Lucario said. "For everything."

"You're welcome," Pikachu said kindly. Then he embraced Luke.

 _Pikachu…I'm going to miss you,_ Luke said. _No matter what…you will always be my friend…my partner…and my brother._

"I feel the same way," Pikachu said. "Take care of everyone for me, will you?"

 _Always,_ Luke nodded.

Lucario embraced the both of them, and the three embraced, the little family they'd made coming together one last time.

"I love you…my son," Lucario said.

 _I love you…brother,_ Luke said.

"I love you, too," Pikachu said.

Arceus came back. "It's ready. Luke, Lucario, come with me."

Slowly, Luke and Lucario drifted away from Pikachu, who, with tears in his eyes and a sad smile on his face, waved at them as mist obscured him from their sight.


	29. Chapter 29: Final Goodbyes

At that final moment, the mist faded, and Luke and Lucario were surrounded with light.

When the light faded, they found themselves in the clearing of Felicity Forest, where the pond was.

Surrounding them were all of SIRS, Shaymin and her crew, Tornadus, Mewtwo, Genesect, Volcanion, the Swords of Justice, Landorus, Giratina, and Groudon, all in their normal forms. Right next to them were Luna, Kira, and Kuro.

Luna embraced Luke. "Brother! You're awake!" Then she turned to Lucario and gasped. "Dad? Dad!" She hugged her father with tears in her eyes as Kira and Kuro helped Luke to his feet. The agents of SIRS came over to embrace their friends in the wake of this miracle.

After the embrace had broken, Shaymin, looking around, said, "Wait…where's Pikachu? He was right where Lucario appeared before."

At that, Luke bowed his head and tears rolled from his eyes. Luna, Kira, and Kuro stood by him.

Lucario, holding back his tears, stood tall and said, "Pikachu traded his life for mine. Because of his connection to Zygarde, who's gone now, he didn't have much time left, so he stayed behind…on the other side…so I could come back and care for my children." He paused as everyone took in the sad news, as some, including Luna, Kira, Kuro, and Shaymin, began to weep. "Everyone…let us not forget the sacrifice Pikachu made, nor the lesson he teaches: as long as we have love in our hearts, we can overcome the bitterest hate; with love in our hearts, we can always turn around and change our direction, abandoning the path of darkness and walking the path of light. So, in memory of our dear friend, let us not hate each other for our differences, but care about each other, looking past our differences. I think if we do this, we can truly cleanse and beautify our worlds. Can we do this?"

Everyone firmly cried out their agreements.

Shaymin, recovering from her sadness with a new determination, said to her gang and the legendary Pokémon she'd worked with, "We've done so many bad things. Let's follow Pikachu's example and turn ourselves around! Let's truly protect nature by caring about each other, rather than letting hate ravage it!" She looked at Luke, Lucario, Luna, Kira, and Kuro, and SIRS. "On behalf of me and my friends, I can't apologize enough for everything. I guess…we didn't want to see the truth. After the things Zygarde did, and how we helped him…we don't deserve a second chance. But thanks for letting us have it. We won't let you down! Let's go, guys!" Before leaving, she looked at Luke. "And…Luke…that day we met…I could honestly feel the gratitude everyone gave you for helping them. Even now, the gratitude everyone has toward you…I have toward you….is off the charts! Keep doing great things for people, and I'll try to do the same, always thankful for what you've done."

Luke smiled and nodded. _Thank you, Shaymin…my friend._

With a smile, Shaymin and her crew left, and Groudon lumbered away as Giratina sunk into the shadows.

Landorus soared over to Tornadus and Thundurus. "Take care of yourselves, guys. Don't make me have to interfere again!" He chuckled and winked, then said, "You two were right. True strength lies in our friendships, not the amount of power we have. Thanks for showing me that through your actions." He soared away.

Once they'd left, Lucario looked at Mewtwo, Genesect, Volcanion, the Swords of Justice, and Tornadus. "Thanks so much for all of your help."

"Anytime, friend," Volcanion said, lumbering away.

"Farewell," Mewtwo said, flying away.

Genesect soared away and the Swords of Justice bounded off.

Tornadus, remaining, said, "I don't feel like leaving JUST yet."

After everyone else had left, Lucario said to SIRS, "Everyone, I can't thank you enough for your contributions to this investigation. Heracross, Thundurus, Psyduck, Hippopotas, Porygon2, Togetic, Munchlax...and Luke, thanks to each and every one of you, we have closed our biggest investigation ever and saved not just this world, but the human world as well!"

SIRS cheered and celebrated, thanking their leader for leading them.

This celebration was interrupted by the arrival of Arceus from the sky and Giratina from the shadows.

"Hello, everyone," Arceus said. "Luke, Lucario, we've already been acquainted. Everyone else, I am Arceus, creator of the Pokémon world."

"We're here because everyone's gotta make things right their own way," Giratina said. "With Arceus's help, I need to fix all of the distortions in both the Pokémon and human worlds."

"This means that the connections between these worlds will be permanently cut off," Arceus said. "Luke, Luna, Kira, Kuro, Lucario…all of you are humans, so you must return to the human world. Once this is done, the distortions will be closed…and you'll never be able to come back."

There was a long, sad, pause. Then Munchlax broke the silence.

"If Lucario has to go…who will lead SIRS?" he asked.

"As second-in-command, leadership of SIRS transfers to Heracross," Lucario said. Walking over and embracing his friend, he said, "I wouldn't trust anyone else to this. I'll miss you, my friend. Thank you for everything all this time."

"Thank YOU…for SIRS," Heracross said. As the newly appointed leader of SIRS, he turned to the group and said, "Operations will continue as normal, but the vacancies must be occupied. I'm thinking…another legendary, at-large agent?" He smiled wryly. "What do you think, Thundurus?"

"I'm fine with that," Thundurus said, turning to Tornadus. "How'd you like to join SIRS?"

Tornadus joyfully laughed. "The two of us hanging out just like the old days. I like it! Let's do it!"

"Very well," Heracross said. "After this, come with me to the Challenger's Dungeon and I'll test your mettle. While it's no question you're strong enough, gotta stick to tradition!" He winked at Lucario, who smiled.

Lucario shared his individual farewells with the agents, then Luke said goodbye to Heracross, Psyduck, Hippopotas, Porygon2, Togetic, Munchlax, Thundurus, and Tornadus.

"So long, Luke. You're just like your father in every way."

"Don't worry, Luke! I'm always thinking, and I'll never forget you!"

"Farewell, Luke! I'll miss you dearly."

"GOODBYE, LUKE. YOU'LL ALWAYS HOLD A PLACE IN MY EMOTIONAL DATABASE, OR 'HEART.'"

"Bye, Luke. I had lots of fun with you."

"Bye bye, Luke. Thanks for all the fun times Togetic and I can remember!"

"See ya around, Luke. Well, I won't, but in my memories, I will. I always enjoyed fighting with you, as your opponent and as your ally!"

"Goodbye, Luke. I may not have known you as long as Thundurus or everyone else, but I still value you as a dear friend nonetheless."

The humans looked at Arceus, and Lucario said, "We're ready. Let's go."

A flash of light changed the scenery from the Felicity Forest pond to the pond in the human world, undistorted.

All of them were human again.

Luke's father hugged all of them and said, "All of you. You were so wonderful, so strong, so brave. Thank you so much. Now, let's go home."

As they walked, Luke, Luna, Kira, and Kuro embraced.

They got home and found Luke's mother still exhausted from the fight with Giratina but healthy and happy. They recounted everything that happened, mainly Zygarde's defeat and Pikachu's sacrifice, and they told her both worlds were safe.

Life returned to normal for them. Luke and Luna adjusted back to life with their mother and father quite happily, content to spend their days with their parents and playing with Kira and Kuro.

However, none of them ever forgot their friends in the Pokémon world. They'd reminisce happily and wonder how they were doing, missing them but remaining content that they were just as happy as they were.

Sometimes, when no one was looking, by himself, Luke would return to the pond. He'd stare in the pond and recall all of his adventures, with his father, with SIRS…but most of all, with Pikachu, his brother, his friend…his partner. Remembering his adventures and how much he missed them would cause Luke to tear up, and his tears would fall into the water. From the ripples where his tears splashed, Luke imagined that he saw Pikachu smiling back at him. Seeing this, Luke would smile.

He and Pikachu were such good friends. They had a friendship that crossed worlds, the line between humans and Pokémon, life and death, the line between good and evil; Pikachu had changed for Luke and ultimately sacrificed himself for his sake. And Luke knew that one day, because their friendship was so strong, they would see each other again.

 **THE END**


End file.
